by Murad Abdo

ADEN, Yemen, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States has ended its nearly two-month bombing campaign against Yemen's Houthis after reaching a ceasefire agreement with the group on Tuesday, marking a shift in the regional dynamics along the strategic Red Sea corridor.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the immediate halt to strikes following the ceasefire, claiming the Houthis had "capitulated," and said the group did not want to fight any more.

This development comes after U.S. forces conducted operations against approximately 800 targets in Yemen, resulting in hundreds of Houthi casualties since March, according to U.S. Central Command data.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi confirmed Oman's mediatory role in facilitating the agreement.

"In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping," the minister said in the statement announcing the U.S.-Houthi deal on Tuesday.

While Oman has said the agreement would facilitate the resolution of broader regional issues, the Houthis have offered different interpretations.

Abdul Malik Al-Ajri, a senior Houthi official, emphasized that the agreement with the United States was strictly bilateral and "has nothing to do with the Israeli enemy or with supporting Gaza."

In a post on X, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, said the group's operations "were and still are in support of Gaza to stop the Israeli aggression and allow the entry of aid" into Gaza, indicating that the ceasefire with the United States did not include a halt to the group's attacks on Israel.

Meanwhile, the head of Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, said in a statement, reported by al-Masirah TV, that "there will be no retreat from supporting Gaza, no matter the cost. What happened proves that our strikes are painful and will continue."

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokesman of Yemen's Houthi group and head of the national negotiating delegation, said that the Houthi operations in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza will continue.

In an interview with al-Masirah TV on Wednesday, Abdul-Salam stated that the current Houthi position came in response to U.S. requests, and the Houthi group had not submitted any requests to the United States.

Yemeni analysts indicate that both the Houthis and the United States could see strategic benefits in reducing tensions.

The agreement potentially alters the Houthis' international standing, according to Ali bin Hadi, a retired military expert based in Aden. "The agreement ... shifts the group from the realm of 'isolated rebel militia' not internationally recognized -- designated a terrorist group by the United States -- to the realm of negotiation with powerful countries," bin Hadi told Xinhua.

For the United States, the arrangement offers an exit from what some observers have called the "Yemeni quagmire" ahead of Trump's scheduled visit to Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates later this month.

However, Yemeni analysts remain divided over how long the agreement may last. Muqbel Naji, an Aden-based political analyst, described the arrangement as "temporary," suggesting the Houthis' cessation of targeting U.S. ships stems from "extensive damage to the group's military capabilities" and represents an attempt to "recover their fighting spirit."

Bin Hadi believes the agreement "was mainly designed to last for a long time, not a short period, particularly as it was facilitated and guaranteed by Oman." He characterized the outcome as balanced, stating, "Neither America nor the Houthis won."