US secretly met Houthis; group pledges not to attack US, Israeli ships

According to a report by Gulf News, the United States has engaged in secret, back-channel negotiations with Houthi representatives. The report alleges that as a result of these discussions, the Houthi movement has provided assurances that they will refrain from targeting vessels associated with the United States and Israel in the Red Sea and surrounding maritime corridors.

The reported agreement, however, does not appear to extend the same protections to Saudi-affiliated shipping. This development comes amid a period of heightened maritime security concerns in the region, where Houthi forces have frequently targeted commercial and military vessels in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The US government has not officially confirmed the existence of these specific talks, maintaining a policy of public pressure while often utilizing third-party intermediaries for regional de-escalation.

If accurate, this shift in tactics could represent a significant recalibration of Houthi maritime strategy, potentially aimed at avoiding direct confrontation with the US military while maintaining pressure on regional rivals. Analysts suggest that such back-channel communications are common in complex regional conflicts, even when official diplomatic relations remain frozen. Observers will be monitoring shipping traffic in the coming days to see if there is a measurable decrease in attacks against US and Israeli-flagged vessels.