Trump Marveled at Houthi “Bravery.” Here’s Why.

The Ben Gurion airport attack underlines the great difficulty the U.S. has had in confronting the Houthis, who began a military intervention after October 7 in solidarity with the besieged population of the Gaza Strip. In addition to the airport attack, Ansar Allah has attacked a number of naval vessels in the Red Sea, including aircraft carriers, while causing the losses of numerous U.S. fighter planes and surveillance drones. This week, the U.S. government announced that it had reached an agreement with the Houthis that they would stop targeting U.S. ships in exchange for an end to the U.S.-led aerial campaign against Yemen.

“You know, we hit them very hard. They had a great capacity to withstand punishment. They took tremendous punishment,” President Trump said in comments about the agreement. “You can say there’s a lot of bravery there. It was amazing what they took. But we honor their commitment and their word.”

That recent agreement does not encompass Ansar Allah’s military confrontation with Israel, which the group has vowed to continue until the Israeli siege on Gaza is lifted. The recent conflict has highlighted how Ansar Allah has continued to develop militarily and technologically through over a decade of fighting domestic enemies inside Yemen, as well as against a Saudi and Emirati military campaign backed by the U.S. that began in 2015.