Trump Reclassifies Houthis as foreign terrorist organization amid rising threats
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Roshan Amiri - . January 24, 2025
- . Update: January 24, 2025 3:31 pm
US President Donald Trump has re-designated Yemen’s Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation” in the aftermath of attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel linked to the Gaza war.
“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,” an order by the White House said.
In the wake of the order, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is required to cut ties with partners that paid Houthi entities or “criticized efforts to counter” the Iran-backed group, impacting humanitarian organizations.
Responding to the development, Houthis said the decision targeted Yemen’s “entire population” for their support to Palestine.
“The US designation reflects the extent of the current administration’s bias toward the usurping Zionist entity,” a statement by Houthis noted, referring to Israel.
At the start of his presidential term in 2021, former US President Joe Biden had dropped the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) designation that was imposed by Trump during his first term. Biden had stated that the decision was taken to address humanitarian concerns within Yemen.
However, after the Red Sea attacks, Biden designated Houthis as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” organization – less severe than an FTO – last January.
Yemen has been struggling with humanitarian and political crises in the aftermath of a civil war that escalated 10 years ago after the Houthis seized control of the country’s northwest from the internationally recognized government. The crisis has resulted in the deaths of more than 150,000 people and left more than 4.8 million people displaced and 19.5 million in need of urgent aid assistance.
The Houthis have launched more than 40 ballistic missiles and around 320 drone strikes at Israel since late 2023, according to reports. The group has also carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea during the same period.
A FTO designation means that anyone in the US or countries across the world suspected of providing support or resources to the Houthis could be prosecuted under several US laws. However, human rights groups argue that it could also prevent humanitarian organizations from operating in areas under Houthi control.
