Washington DC - President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Yemen's Houthis have agreed to halt attacks on shipping, in a surprise announcement at the White House.

The Houthis began targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel's unrelenting assault after a shock Hamas attack that year.

"The Houthis have announced... that they don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight. And we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated," Trump said.

"They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that's... the purpose of what we were doing," the US president said, adding that the information came from a "very, very good source."

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Attacks by the Houthis have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal – a vital route that normally carries about 12% of the world's shipping traffic.

The US began carrying out strikes against the Houthis in early 2024 under President Joe Biden, and Trump's administration launched renewed attacks on Yemen starting on March 15.

The Pentagon said last week that US strikes had hit more than 1,000 targets in Yemen since mid-March in an operation that has been dubbed "Rough Rider."