Jordan Daily – U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Washington does not require Israeli approval to reach a ceasefire with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, amid concerns in Israel over a surprise agreement announced by President Donald Trump earlier this week.
“The United States isn’t required to get permission from Israel to make some type of arrangement that would get the Houthis from firing on our ships,” Huckabee told Israel’s Channel 12 News in a segment aired Thursday, ahead of a full interview scheduled to be broadcast this weekend.
His comments came after Trump on Tuesday announced a bilateral ceasefire between the Houthis and the United States. Israeli officials said they were not informed in advance of the deal, which drew criticism following a Houthi missile strike near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport earlier this week. The missile landed close to the airport’s control tower, lightly injuring several people and prompting major international airlines to suspend service to Israel.
Speaking to Channel 12, Huckabee said his understanding of the ceasefire and U.S. policy came from recent discussions with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
“Here’s what I can tell you, because I had a conversation with both the president and the vice president last night,” Huckabee said. “There’s 700,000 Americans living in Israel. If the Houthis want to continue doing things to Israel and they hurt an American, then it becomes our business.”
Asked if that meant U.S. military intervention would depend on whether American citizens were harmed by Houthi attacks, Huckabee responded: “It’s a matter of what becomes our immediate business.”
His remarks mirrored those made by Trump, who, when asked about the Houthis’ pledge to continue targeting Israel despite the ceasefire, said: “I’ll discuss that if something happens.”
