U.S. Treasury Department imposes sanctions on Houthi leader Saleh Misfir al-Shaer
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Roshan Amiri
- . November 19, 2021
- . Update: November 19, 2021 8:33 pm
Yemen– The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on senior Houthi military officer, Saleh Misfir al-Shaer, based on what it described as “illegal methods” he implemented. The U.S. Treasury sanctions came just over a week after the U.N. Security Council black-listed three Houthi militia leaders.
“Al-Sha’er oversaw the confiscation of Houthis‘ property in Yemen, estimated at more than $ 100 million, using a variety of illegal methods, including extortion,” the U.S. Treasury Department said. While the United Nations urges the Houthis to “immediately release” the employees, the Houthi militiamen hold.
The U.S. Treasury described Al-Shaer as a close ally of Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. They said the sanctions would result in the freezing of all assets and interests of Al-Shaer in the United States or possession of American people, with the need to report them to the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Department of the Treasury.
Earlier this week, the State Department said U.S. Special Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, visited Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to coordinate regional security and Iran-related concerns and for talks on UN-led peace efforts in Yemen. The Iranian-backed Houthis ousted the internationally recognized Yemeni government from Sanaa in late 2014. The government has since operated from Riyadh.
Lenderking is a frequent visitor to the region this year as part of a United Nations-led effort to coordinate a ceasefire in Yemen. The truce is necessary for the resumption of political talks to end the war, which a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 against the Houthis.
The conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a terrible humanitarian crisis, is seen as a proxy war between Gulf Countries, the International Community, and Iran. As clashes continue in the Marib governorate between Yemeni army forces and the Houthi militia, the “Al Arabiya” broadcaster has announced the arrival of new military forces trained by the Arab Coalition to support the Yemeni army.
Sources indicated that brigades with well-equipped and trained soldiers have come to the governorate to join the battle against the Houthis. Meanwhile, the Yemeni army has confirmed that the Coalition air raids inflicted heavy casualties on the Houthis south of Marib and destroyed 3 Houthi vehicles with their men on board.
The Coalition announced the execution of 27 raids against Houthi in Marib and Al-Bayda in the last 24 hours. In a statement, he said the operations included the destruction of 16 military vehicles and eliminating more than 130 terrorist elements. In recent days, the southern and western fronts of Marib have witnessed intense battles between the army and the resistance forces, with the air support of coalition fighters on the one hand and the Houthi militia on the other.
