President Biden will redesignate Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist group, three years after removing them from the list of foreign terrorist organizations in response to repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis will be placed on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list, with sanctions aimed at preventing further attacks on global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, government officials said.
“These attacks are clear examples of terrorism and violations of international law, pose a grave threat to life and global commerce, and jeopardize the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” a senior government official told reporters on Tuesday. he said.
The decision comes as the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks against merchant ships in the Red Sea. The group said the attack was a response to Israel's military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, Houthi fighters fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Yemen into the Red Sea.
Biden administration to relist Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis as terrorists amid Red Sea attack
Houthi fighters and tribesmen rally against US and British attacks at a Houthi-run military base near Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, January 14, 2024. (AP photo) (AP)
“We took this action to put pressure on the Houthis to cease their terrorist activities, including missile and drone attacks against international shipping. The goal is to persuade them to make significant changes,” the official said.
The terrorist designation is expected to take effect within 30 days. Officials say they are shipping food, medicine and fuel to Yemeni ports to avoid denying humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people amid the civil war between the Houthis and the country's internationally recognized Saudi-backed government. He emphasized that commercial transport is exempt.
“The administration is prioritizing mitigating any unintended negative impacts this designation may have on the Yemeni people,” another official said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed the Houthis from both the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists in February 2021, as the Biden administration seeks to facilitate the introduction of humanitarian aid to Yemen.
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President Joe Biden said he ordered the attack “in direct response to the unprecedented Houthi attack on international shipping in the Red Sea.” (U.S. Central Command)
This movement was the opposite of the previous movement. president trumpIn the waning days of his presidency, he made the decision to place the Houthis on the FTO list, over strong opposition from human rights and humanitarian organizations.
The foreign terrorist designation prohibits U.S. persons and individuals or organizations under U.S. jurisdiction from providing “material support” to the Houthis, which the group says is already happening in Yemen. He argued that this would lead to an even bigger humanitarian catastrophe.
The SDGT designation would also freeze Houthi assets, but unlike the FTO designation, it would not impose entry restrictions on its members, according to the State Department. SDGT sanctions also do not affect individuals or organizations that provide “material support” to the Houthis.
“Rescinding the SDGT designation of foreign terrorist organizations and the Houthis was the right move in 2021,” an administration official said, adding that Blinken made the decision “in recognition of the extremely dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.” He added that he did.
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Officials said the SDGT designation was part of a “broader effort” to thwart Houthi attacks, along with military action.
Recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said last week that 2,000 ships have been forced to detour thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea since November.
Houthi militants have threatened or taken hostage sailors from more than 20 countries.
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Centcom announced on Tuesday that the US military had attacked and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles that were preparing to launch from Yemen.
“The latest attacks since November are truly unacceptable,” the official said. “We cannot afford to sit back and watch what the Houthis are doing in the Red Sea and not recognize their actions for what they are.”
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano, Jacqui Heinrich and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
