Israel was not informed in advance about US President Donald Trump's announcement regarding the Houthis, an informed source told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
IDF strikes Sanaa airport, Israel approves widened Gaza invasion
IDF strikes in Lebanon's south, north, Syria • Israel issues ultimatum to Hamas • US envoy Witkoff says Abraham Accords could be expanded soon.
Israel blindsided by Trump's Houthi announcement, sources tell 'Post'
"They said please don't bomb us anymore and we're not going to attack your ships," Trump said.
IAF Sanaa strikes: Dozens of planes, 50 munitions, 15 minutes
The strikes lasted for 15 minutes, the military stated.
Israel Air Force pilots prepare for the airstrikes on Sanaa, May 6, 2025. (CREDIT: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
The IDF confirmed that the Israeli Air Force sent "dozens" of planes on Tuesday, using "50 munitions to strike dozens of targets" in Sanaa on Tuesday.
The airstrike operation lasted for 15 minutes, the military stated.
Trump: Houthis announce they don't want to fight anymore
The Houthis "don't want to fight, and we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings," Trump said on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen after the Iran-aligned group agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.
.@POTUS: "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. They have capitulated... They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore." pic.twitter.com/GTd4UhNMK9
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 6, 2025
Trump added that he plans to make a major announcement in the coming days before his departure for the Middle East, but he declined to say what the topic would be.
Trump, speaking during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House, said the announcement would be very positive and could come Thursday, Friday, or Monday.
Trump's administration has been negotiating trade deals with a number of countries.
The dangers of saying the “O” word on Gaza - analysis
“We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip. We will stop being afraid of the word’ occupation,’” Smotrich declared.
On January 10, 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement declaring that Israel did not want to occupy Gaza.
“I want to make a few points absolutely clear,” Netanyahu said in an English-language statement. “Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population.”
That statement, which also included a declaration that Israel’s goal was to “rid Gaza of Hamas terrorists and free our hostages,” was aimed at maintaining international legitimacy for the military operation, which by then was coming under growing criticism from abroad, including from the Biden administration.
'Anyone who harms us ,we will strike back sevenfold,' Katz says after Yemen strikes
"I have said many times that anyone who attacks the State of Israel will pay the price," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement on Tuesday following the IDF's airstrikes on Houthi infrastructure in Sanaa.
(From L-R) Defense Minister Israel Katz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israel Air Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar (Credit: Itay Beiton/GPO, Yitzhak Kandil/GPO)
n," he concluded.
Young Gazans talked about killing Jews, not about Palestine, released hostage Omer Wenkert says
Wenkert said, "Hamas is not a freedom organization; they are the most brutal terrorist organization in the world."
Released hostage Omer Wenkert said on Tuesday that he spoke with young Gazans while he was in captivity, and according to him, they didn’t talk about the liberation of Palestine, but about killing Jews.
At the closing event of the TEEN SPIRIT program by the Civilian Public Diplomacy Headquarters, Wenkert said: "Hamas is not a freedom organization; they are the most brutal terrorist organization in the world. I spoke with the young Gazans there, and they no longer talked about freedom, but about the genocide of the Jewish people."
Wenkert shared his experiences from the hundreds of days he spent in captivity, revealing some of the difficulties he faced, including not knowing the full picture of what happened on October 7.
IDF, Shin Bet chief give final tactical approvals for widened Gaza invasion
Hamas could still avoid increased attacks if it cuts a deal before mid-May.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar on Tuesday approved the final tactical plans for the widening of the Gaza invasion, which was more generally authorized by the security cabinet on Monday.
At this stage, this means that the IDF Southern Commanders, generals, and brigade commanders within the IDF and the Shin Bet already have practical "marching" orders for where to maneuver and with which forces.
The only thing holding them back now is some period of days for the full necessary IDF reservists to arrive and be ready for action as well as giving Hamas a last opportunity to cut a new hostage deal until after US President Donald Trump's visit to the region, due to conclude around May 15-16.
IDF begins strikes on Yemen's Sanaa International Airport
The warning is the first time that Israel has given a prior warning before attacking the Houthis, after six prior attacks in which no warnings was given.
The IDF began conducting strikes on Sanaa International Airport in Yemen on Tuesday afternoon.
Smoke rises in Sanaa after IDF airstrikes hit the city, May 6, 2025. Credit: (VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)
This follows the military's statement at 2:36 p.m. which warned all Yemeni citizens at the airport to evacuate prior to an upcoming Israeli airstrike there.
#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى جميع المتواجدين في منطقة مطار صنعاء الدولي وفق ما يعرض في الخارطة المرفقة.
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 6, 2025
⭕️ندعوكم إلى اخلاء منطقة المطار - مطار صنعاء الدولي - بشكل فوري وتحذير كل من يتواجد بجواركم عن ضرورة اخلاء هذه المنطقة فورًا
⭕️عدم الاخلاء والابتعاد عن المكان يعرضكم للخطر pic.twitter.com/5qXw5x4SBD
The warning is the first time that Israel has given a prior warning before attacking the Houthis, after six prior attacks when no warnings were given, including on Monday.
Netanyahu arrives at IDF's Kirya headquarters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left his trial hearing in Tel Aviv and arrived at the IDF's Kirya headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.
This came minutes after the IDF's Arabic spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee issued a warning for locals to evacuate Yemen's Sanaa International Airport.
Ten Syrian Druze transferred to Israel for medical care
Ten Syrian Druze were transferred to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed for medical care in the past few days, the military said on Tuesday.
The IDF added that troops were positioned in southern Syria to prevent hostile elements from entering Druze villages.
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Supernova music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
- 59 hostages remain in Gaza.
- 49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
- The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
- The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4 a.m.
- Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on January 17, 2025.
