SOFREP Morning Brief: US, Houthis Reach Red Sea Ceasefire; India Launches Cross-Border Missile Strikes Into Pakistan, Killing 26

Stay informed this Wednesday with SOFREP’s morning brief, featuring the latest news on defense and global affairs for May 7, 2025. Here’s a quick glance: The US and Yemen’s Houthi rebels agreed to a Red Sea ceasefire brokered by Oman, ending months of maritime attacks. In Sudan, the army-led government severed ties with the UAE, accusing it of backing RSF drone attacks on Port Sudan, which hit vital infrastructure. Russia launched a deadly missile and drone barrage on Kyiv ahead of a planned Victory Day ceasefire, killing two and injuring eight. In South Asia, India launched missile strikes into Pakistan, killing 26. Pakistan responded by claiming it had downed five Indian jets, marking a sharp escalation in tensions following the Kashmir tourist massacre.

—

US, Houthis Reach Red Sea Ceasefire as Regional Tensions Escalate

The United States and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have reached a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending months of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, mediators announced Tuesday.

The deal, brokered by Oman, is expected to secure freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed the agreement, stating that “neither side will target the other,” and emphasized the importance of ensuring smooth maritime commerce. The announcement follows weeks of backchannel talks and a seven-week US bombing campaign that, according to Houthi sources, killed 300 fighters.

NEW: The Omani Foreign Minister announced a “ceasefire” between the United States and the Houthis after the Houthis reportedly agreed to end attacks on international shipping. ⬇️(1/3)

US President Donald Trump said that the United States will stop attacks on the Houthis, and in… pic.twitter.com/kuelo5V0gn

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) May 6, 2025

President Donald Trump declared the Houthis had “capitulated” and said the US would stop its attacks in return for the rebels ceasing their maritime assaults. He made no mention of the Houthis’ ongoing missile and drone strikes on Israel.

BIG BREAKING 🔴

Trump: “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/tSvBsxwEz6

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 6, 2025

Houthi officials responded cautiously. Political leader Mahdi al-Mashar did not address the ceasefire directly but vowed further retaliation against Israeli strikes. Spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam warned that any renewed US military action would trigger a resumption of Houthi attacks, calling the previous US campaign a “dark experience” and the true guarantee of compliance.

The Houthis have launched persistent drone and missile attacks on Israel and Red Sea vessels since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in late 2023. The group claims its actions support Palestinians in Gaza.

The ceasefire comes amid a sharp escalation in regional hostilities. Hours before the agreement was announced, Israeli warplanes launched a major airstrike on Sanaa, destroying Yemen’s main airport and targeting civilian infrastructure, including power stations and a cement plant. According to Houthi officials, the attacks killed at least three people and caused widespread power outages.

Israel said the strike was in response to a Houthi missile that landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday. The Israeli military claimed it had “fully disabled” the airport in Sanaa and dismantled “Houthi terrorist infrastructure.”

The Houthis vowed to retaliate, declaring the Israeli strike “will not pass without a response” and reaffirming their support for Gaza.

Sanaa’s international airport, which had reopened in 2022 after years of blockade, had been the country’s main link to the outside world through flights to Jordan.

Sudan Cuts Ties With UAE Over Drone Strikes on Port Sudan

Sudan’s army-led government severed diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, accusing Abu Dhabi of backing drone attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Port Sudan, the nation’s de facto capital.

The strikes hit critical infrastructure, including the civilian airport, military bases, a fuel depot, and the city’s main power substation, plunging the city into darkness.

Official sources said this marked the third consecutive day of aerial attacks on Port Sudan, a city previously considered a safe zone in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF.

Sudanese Army Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appeared on state media from the port, denouncing what he called “Emirati aggression” and vowing retaliation.

“The hour of retribution will come,” he said, blaming the RSF and branding it a proxy of the UAE.

In a televised address, Defence Minister Yassin Ibrahim confirmed the closure of Sudan’s embassy and consulate in the UAE, declaring the Gulf nation an “aggressor state.” While the UAE has consistently denied supporting the RSF, reports from United Nations panels, US lawmakers, and international watchdogs have suggested otherwise.

The attacks come as a major blow to Sudan’s already fragile humanitarian lifeline. Port Sudan serves as the country’s only functional civilian airport and the primary entry point for humanitarian aid. UN warned that further damage to the city’s infrastructure could worsen what it calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with famine already declared in parts of the country.

On Tuesday, an RSF drone reportedly struck the Kassala airport, nearly 600 kilometers (373 miles) south of Port Sudan, though army anti-aircraft units intercepted the attack. Meanwhile, a shelling by the RSF on the Abu Shouk displacement camp near El-Fasher in North Darfur killed at least six people and injured over 20.

The RSF, which lost ground in Khartoum in March, has turned to drone warfare in recent months. The Sudanese army claims the paramilitaries are now using both improvised and advanced drone systems, allegedly supplied by the UAE.

Russia Strikes Kyiv With Missile and Drone Barrage Ahead of Victory Day Ceasefire

Russia launched a ballistic missile and a wave of drones at Ukraine’s capital early Wednesday, killing at least two civilians and wounding eight others, including four children, Ukrainian officials confirmed.

The attack came just a day before Moscow’s planned unilateral 72-hour ceasefire intended to coincide with Russia’s Victory Day celebrations marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany.

The Kyiv City Military Administration reported that Ukrainian air defenses shot down one ballistic missile and 11 out of 28 drones launched by Russia. The missile’s warhead caused damage in the Solomianskyi district after being intercepted, injuring one person.

Debris from intercepted drones caused multiple fires and building damage across Kyiv. In Shevchenkivskyi district, drone fragments ignited a blaze in a five-story apartment building, killing two residents and injuring four others. Three of the wounded were children. In Sviatoshynskyi district, a fire tore through the upper floors of a nine-story building, prompting the rescue of five civilians. In Dniprovskyi, a high-rise apartment building suffered damage, though no casualties were reported.

The assault underscores Russia’s continued offensive operations despite its announced humanitarian ceasefire, which is scheduled to begin Thursday, May 8 and end Saturday, May 10.

NEW: Ukrainian forces continued limited attacks across the international border near Tetkino and Novyi Put, Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian forces also continued drone, air, and artillery strikes aimed at isolating Russian units in and near Tetkino. More ⬇️(1/2)

Kremlin officials are… pic.twitter.com/Jse5jdyFBN

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) May 7, 2025

The Kremlin has rejected a broader 30-day ceasefire proposal supported by the US and accepted by Ukraine.

The timing of the attack is significant, as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to host foreign dignitaries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, for a military parade on Red Square.

Moscow views potential Ukrainian strikes during the event as diplomatically damaging. Notably, Ukrainian drones temporarily suspended flights at all four international airports in the Moscow area earlier this week.

In Russia, officials reported intercepting over 140 Ukrainian drones across the Bryansk region. Additional drone attacks were confirmed in the Tula and Yaroslavl regions, with Russian authorities claiming to have downed multiple incoming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In Saransk, 630 kilometers (391 miles) east of Moscow, regional officials preemptively shut down schools, universities, and kindergartens due to drone threats and urged civilians to refrain from posting images of damaged areas.

The latest escalation comes as Russia deepens its reliance on China amid ongoing Western sanctions, with the Kremlin confirming that Putin will travel to China later this summer.

India Launches Cross-Border Missile Strikes Into Pakistan, Killing 26 Amid Kashmir Crisis

India launched multiple missile strikes into Pakistani-controlled territory early Wednesday, killing at least 26 people, including a child, in what Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned as “an act of war.”

The attacks struck six locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and eastern Punjab province, targeting sites India claims are linked to militant activity.

India said the operation, codenamed Sindoor, targeted infrastructure used by militants behind last month’s massacre of 26 Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi maintains the strikes were “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” claiming no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.

🚨 Tensions escalate in South Asia

▪️On May 6, India launched missile strikes on several parts of Pakistan as well as in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

▪️ Pakistan reports 31 civilian deaths as a result of the Indian strikes, besides 5 deaths due to cross-border shelling

📍… pic.twitter.com/vrkklbEOTL

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) May 7, 2025

Pakistan rejected India’s justification, stating that the strikes hit civilian areas, including two mosques. One strike killed 13 people near a former Jaish-e-Mohammed facility in Bahawalpur, and another damaged a mosque in Muridke near a site tied to Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistani officials said 38 people were injured and five more were killed later during cross-border exchanges of fire.

In retaliation, Pakistan claimed its air force shot down five Indian fighter jets. Three aircraft reportedly crashed in separate locations across Indian-controlled Kashmir and Punjab, causing destruction in civilian areas.

India has not yet confirmed the shoot-downs but acknowledged heavy shelling from across the border that killed at least seven civilians and wounded 30 others in Poonch district.

The strikes mark one of the most intense cross-border escalations in years between the nuclear-armed rivals. Both nations convened top security meetings following the exchange.

Pakistan’s National Security Committee met Wednesday morning, and India’s Cabinet Committee on Security convened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Scenes of panic unfolded across both sides of the Line of Control. In Muzaffarabad, explosions rocked neighborhoods, and residents fled their homes. In Indian villages where aircraft fell, debris struck homes, schools, and mosques, igniting fires and forcing evacuations. Indian civil defense drills were activated in multiple states as a precaution.

The UN and regional powers voiced concern over the growing escalation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for maximum restraint, warning the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan. China, a close ally of Pakistan and major investor through its $65 billion economic corridor, also urged calm while reaffirming its opposition to terrorism.

This latest escalation stems from an attack last month in Indian Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 Indian Hindu tourists. India blamed Pakistan-backed groups, while Islamabad denied any involvement. The group claiming responsibility, the Kashmir Resistance, is allegedly affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group banned in Pakistan but believed by Indian authorities to retain covert operations capability.

Kashmir remains a flashpoint between the two countries, which have fought two wars over the region. Analysts warn that while both sides have nuclear deterrents, they are willing to engage in high-intensity conventional military exchanges, raising the risk of further escalation.

Sources: News Agencies