From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Report says Trump wanted out of Houthi campaign as costs mounted with few results
US President Donald Trump ordered an end to a military campaign against Yemen’s Houthis after being frustrated by a lack of progress against the Iran-backed group and the mounting costs of the campaign, the New York Times reports.
The Trump administration has portrayed the ceasefire, which included no guarantees regarding continued attacks against Israel or other non-US assets, as a victory, claiming the Houthis sued for peace after being degraded by two months of intense strikes.
But according to the report, Trump had sought an off-ramp from the campaign after the Houthis continued to successfully resist US forces, who lost a number of Reaper drones and two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, giving the Pentagon 30 days to show results rather than pressing ahead with the original proposed plan for an eight- to 10-month engagement aimed at disabling the group. The paper, relying on unnamed former and current officials, reports that the campaign cost the US over $1 billion in its first month alone, and sparked fears that the US would be short munitions it could need to defend Taiwan against China, leading Trump to seek a way out.
The initial proposal had called for air strikes to take out Houthi air defenses followed by a campaign of assassinations, largely modeled on Israel’s successful war against Hezbollah. Trump had only partially approved the plan, the paper reports.
The idea for a truce was advanced by the Omanis via US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff as they brokered nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, according to the Times.
Israel was caught off guard by the US agreement to stop bombing the Houthis, which was announced days after a missile hit Ben Gurion airport, injuring several people and sparking heavy Israeli strikes on Houthi infrastructure, including Sana’a’s main airport. The Houthis have since continued to fire missiles at Israel, though only a single one since the ceasefire was announced has managed to trigger warning sirens, with the rest falling outside of Israeli territory.
The Times of Israel Community.