US reassigns Houthis as terror group three years after militia was delisted
The United States has designated the Houthis as a terrorist group nearly three years after the Iran-backed militia was taken off its list of proscribed organisations.
Announcing the move, which comes into force in 30 days, the State Department said Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping had “endangered mariners, disrupted the free flow of commerce, and interfered with navigational rights and freedoms”.
It added: “The Houthis must be held accountable for their actions, but it should not be at the expense of Yemeni civilians.”
Joe Biden hinted at the change of status when questioned by reporters in Pennsylvania last Friday in the wake of attacks on Western shipping in the Red Sea which led to Britain and the US launching a series of strikes on Yemen.
The move reversed a decision by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, who delisted the Houthis to make it easier to get aid into the region.
It had been feared that barring US aid groups from providing support would worsen the existing humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Israeli officials have been urging the West to crack down on the Houthis, who declared war on Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and who have launched long-range attacks on Israeli cities using ballistic missiles and drones.
Last week, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, urged the US and Britain to designate the Houthis and their Iranian handlers, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as terrorist organisations.
“I think the international community should designate the Houthis and IRGC as terrorist organisations. Because that’s what they are,” Mr Gallant told The Telegraph.
Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, laid out the chaos caused by the Houthis, saying 2,000 ships had been diverted as a result of their attacks in the Red Sea.
She added the Houthis had taken sailors from more than 20 countries hostage.
On Tuesday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said addressing the threat posed to commercial vessels was an “all hands on deck” problem that the US and its allies must address together to minimise impact on the global economy.
Speaking in Davos, he added that it needed to be made clear “the entire world rejects wholesale the idea that a group like the Houthis can hijack the world”.
As a result of the announcement, the US will consider the Houthis a “specially designated global terrorist” force - a lower category than being classed as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.
It will mean that Houthi assets will be frozen, but the sanctions will not apply to humanitarian assistance such as food, fuel and medicine.
The lower designation was condemned as inadequate by the Mike Pence-linked political action committee, Advancing American Freedom.
“At the beginning of the Biden administration the Houthis were removed from the list of foreign terrorist organisations, which was a mistake the world has paid for these past months,” said its executive director, Paul Teller.
“This administration is more afraid of a bad headline than global threats. It’s time to quit playing games and treat US enemies as they deserve to be treated.”
