U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the re-designation of Yemen’s Houthi AnsarAllah group as a “foreign terrorist organisation,” risking further escalation with the anti-Israel armed group.
The White House confirmed that Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to submit a report concerning the designation within 30 days after consultation with the director of national intelligence and the secretary of the treasury.
The Yemeni Scholars Association, based in the capital Sana’a, has already blasted the U.S. following the decision, branding America the “head of terrorism.”
Once complete, the process will see the group relisted on the terror list further complicating matters in the war-torn Arab country.
Trump had been responsible for designating the group during his first term. The move was met with criticism from aid groups, the UN, and some U.S. legislators.
The Biden administration revoked the Trump-era designation in February, 2021, in an effort to de-escalate hostilities in the area and help deal with Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
The Trump-led White House said in its statement that Biden’s “weak policy” had resulted in the Houthis firing on U.S. Navy warships dozens of times, targeting commercial vessels more than 100 times and attacking civilian infrastructure in partner nations.
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“Under President Trump, it is now the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby end their attacks on U.S. personnel and civilians, U.S. partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea.”
Once the Houthis are eventually re-listed, Trump’s order instructs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to “end its relationship” with entities that have made payments to the group, or opposed efforts to counter it “while turning a blind eye” towards “terrorism and abuses.”
Yemen, Palestine and Israel
Trump’s order came just hours after the Houthi AnsarAllah announced they had released the crew of the Galaxy Leader cargo vessel, which was seized by Yemeni forces shortly after the start of Israel’s vicious war on Gaza.
The group’s Supreme Political Council said it had granted the release of the 25 crew members as part of its efforts to support the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began on Sunday.
Yemeni forces have conducted a large number of attacks on Red Sea shipping, U.S. navy assets and directly at Israel throughout the year 2024.
The Houthi leadership has claimed that the attacks were part of an effort to offer direct military support for Gaza amid the genocide.
In response, Israel, the U.S. and the UK have attacked locations across Yemen including suspected Houthi military sites.
Yemeni state media claimed civilian infrastructure was also targeted during these air strikes.
Since the ceasefire, Yemen has pledged to cease all further attacks unless Yemen itself comes under fresh attack going forward.
Israel has welcomed the U.S. terror listing amid Tel Aviv’s efforts to lobby European countries to apply similar sanctions on the group.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X: “The Houthis are an Iranian proxy that disrupts freedom of navigation, threatens global trade and destabilises regional stability and the global order. This is an important step in fighting terror and combating the destabilising elements in our region.”
Yemen has been the only Arab country to fight alongside Gaza right up until the ceasefire was agreed.
Yemen’s angry response
According to Yemeni state media platform Al Masirah, the Yemeni Scholars Association, based in the capital Sanaa, blasted the U.S. following the decision, branding America the “head of terrorism.”
“The head of terrorism, the greatest supporter of the most dangerous terrorist entity is America, and without it, Zionist terrorism would not have lasted for 15 months in Gaza.
“Trump’s designation of Yemen as a terrorist state is a historical testimony from a historical enemy of Islam, humanity, an acknowledgment that Yemen only terrifies the enemies of humanity.”
The Political Bureau of the (Houthi) AnsarAllah was also quoted condemning the move as a farce and an attack on Yemen’s people for standing against genocide.
“We strongly condemn the old-new American step, which has become a farce with no basis other than serving the Zionist agenda. The U.S. aims to increase the suffering of our people and attempts to deter Yemen, its Armed Forces from continuing to support the just Palestinian cause.
“Our Armed Forces will remain on alert and ready for any military escalation against Yemen and to confront violations of the agreement in Gaza.”
