Biden administration re-designates Houthis as Specially Designated Global Terrorists

CNN
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The Biden administration on Wednesday redesignated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity amid continued attacks by Yemeni militias.

Government officials said the SDGT designation was intended to deter continued Houthi aggression in the Red Sea. It is the latest in a series of U.S. actions targeting Iran-backed groups and comes as the specter of wider regional war in the Middle East looms.

“These attacks are clear examples of terrorism and violations of international law, posing a significant threat to life and global commerce and jeopardizing the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” a senior U.S. administration official said in a call with reporters on Tuesday.

After the Trump administration designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in its final weeks, the U.S. government in February 2021 revoked the SDGT designation of the Houthis and removed them from the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list. Removed from the list.

At the time, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision to revoke the group’s designation was driven by concerns it could jeopardize the ability to deliver critical aid to the people of Yemen. He said it was “an acknowledgment of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”

However, pressure is mounting on the government to reimpose these designations amid the Red Sea attack, which the Houthis claim is retaliation for Israeli military attacks in Gaza. These attacks had an impact on the global economy as they effectively shut down one of the world’s major trade routes for most container ships.

The government has not reclassified the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.

The U.S. State Department said that both terrorist designations would trigger economic sanctions, but only the FTO designation would impose a travel ban on members of the organization and authorize the imposition of sanctions on those who provide “material support” to them.

“We believe the SDGT designation is an appropriate tool to pressure the Houthis at this time,” the senior administration official said. The official said the SDGT designation allows “more flexibility” in targeting the Houthis while minimizing the risk of Risks to humanitarian aid.

The official said the redesignated SDGT will take effect 30 days from Tuesday “so that we can ensure strong humanitarian exemptions are in place so that our operations target the Houthis and not the Yemeni people.”

Another senior administration official said the administration will conduct outreach to organizations involved in humanitarian aid in Yemen during the 30-day period. According to the World Food Program, 21.6 million people will need such assistance by 2023.

Officials said the designation was not intended to affect the fragile truce between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition.

They also view the designation of terrorists as part of a broader effort to get the Houthis to stop their attacks in the Red Sea.

“If we see that the Houthis stop attacking ships, we are willing to consider this designation for specific terrorist acts. If the Houthis stop their activities tomorrow, we are also willing to consider whether the bill will take effect,” the first official said. “Our absolute goal is to stop these attacks, not to enforce broader conduct through these sanctions.”

On Thursday, the United States and Britain launched strikes against Houthi targets in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen. President Joe Biden said he ordered the attack “in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea,” adding that he would “not hesitate to take further steps if necessary to protect the free movement of our people and international commerce.”

In the days that followed, the United States launched more strikes against the Houthis.

Administration officials have repeatedly said they view the actions as defensive, not escalatory.

“When the Houthis launched these attacks, which we strongly urged them to stop, they did not result in any kind of escalation,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNBC on Tuesday. “This is an attack on international commerce, international shipping, not an attack on international commerce, international shipping. An attack by Israel, nor an attack on the United States. That’s why more than 40 countries have come together to condemn what the Houthis have done. That’s why other countries have come together to say that if this continues, there will be consequences Consequences, not to escalate the situation, but to stop it.”

“We don’t want to see the situation escalate since October 7,” he said. “We work every day to prevent this from happening, including in the Red Sea.”

This story has been updated with more.