BREAKINGBREAKING,
The designation, which does not take effect for 30 days, could be lifted if Houthis cease attacks, US officials said.
The United States government has formally designated Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a “terrorist” organisation.
Washington re-listing of the group as “specially designated global terrorists” on Wednesday comes after the US launched strikes on Houthi targets Yemen in response to the group’s attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.
The Houthis say their operations are aimed at ships with links to Israel and that they will continue attacking targets until Israel’s war on Gaza stops.
“In response to these continuing threats and attacks, the United States announced the designation of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in statement.
“This designation is an important tool to impede terrorist funding to the Houthis, further restrict their access to financial markets, and hold them accountable for their actions.”
The designation does not take effect for 30 days, Sullivan said. “If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will immediately reevaluate this designation.”
The US previously designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist designation under the Trump administration despite strong objections from human rights and humanitarian aid groups.
In February 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delisted the Houthis as both a foreign terrorist organisation and as specially designated global terrorists as the Biden administration sought to make it easier to get humanitarian aid into Yemen.
More to come…