President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday officially recognizing Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The executive order states, “Supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), which arms and trains terrorist organizations worldwide, the Houthis have fired at US Navy warships dozens of times since 2023, endangering American men and women in uniform.”
It also highlights that the Houthis seized control of most of Yemen’s population centers from the legitimate government during 2014-2015, engaging in widespread violence. The document notes, “Since seizing most Yemeni population centers by force from the legitimate Yemeni government in 2014-2015, the Houthis have launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure, including multiple attacks on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia, the deadly January 2022 attacks on the United Arab Emirates, and more than 300 projectiles fired at Israel since October 2023.”
The order further elaborates on their maritime aggression: “The Houthis have also attacked commercial vessels transiting Bab al-Mandeb more than 100 times, killing at least four civilian sailors and forcing some Red Sea maritime commercial traffic to reroute, which has contributed to global inflation.”
In addressing the broader implications of their actions, the order states, “The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade.”
This is not the first time Trump has applied this label to the Houthis. Toward the end of his first term in 2021, he issued a similar designation. However, days later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rescinded the label, citing potential harm to humanitarian aid efforts in Yemen as a key reason for the reversal.
The Houthi rebels have significantly increased their activity in the region since October 2023. They have launched drone strikes on Israel and attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea as part of their declared support for Gaza.
In response to the heightened aggression, the United States has established a coalition consisting of over 20 countries. The primary goal of this alliance is to ensure the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea and protect it from Houthi threats.
Despite repeated coalition airstrikes targeting Houthi facilities and weaponry in Yemen, the group remains defiant and has pledged to persist in their attacks.
Recently, the Houthis announced that during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, their assaults in the Red Sea corridor would focus exclusively on vessels associated with Israel. They had previously threatened to resume direct attacks on Israel if the truce with Hamas collapses.
{Matzav.com}