Exclusive: Houthi ceasefire followed US intel showing militants sought off-ramp
By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Humeyra Pamuk and Erin Banco
May 13, 20259:01 PM EDTUpdated 14 hours ago
Summary
U.S. Central Command recommended a campaign lasting at least 8 months, U.S. official says
Iran played significant role in encouraging Houthi negotiations, two sources say
Experts had doubted Houthis would agree to U.S. demands
WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) - Days before a surprise U.S. ceasefire agreement with Houthis, U.S. intelligence started picking up indications the Yemeni fighters were looking for an exit after seven weeks of relentless U.S. bombings, four U.S. officials said.
Houthi leaders began reaching out sometime around the first weekend in May to U.S. allies in the Middle East, two of the officials said.
"We started getting intel that the Houthis had had enough," one of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity to recount the internal discussions about the intelligence, which haven't been previously reported.
https://www.reuters.com/world/houthi-ceasefire-followed-us-intel-showing-militants-sought-off-ramp-2025-05-13/
