The State Department announced Wednesday it is redesignating the Houthis—a militant organization based in Yemen—as a terrorist group, almost three years after the Biden Administration removed the label, and months after the group began attacking commercial vessels in busy Red Sea shipping lanes.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the recent attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea “have ... [+]
The Houthis are being redesignated a “specially designated global terrorist group,” after its “unprecedented attacks against international maritime vessels” in the Red Sea and surrounding waters that have caused shipping disruptions, according to a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The designation obstructs the Houthis’ access to the global financial system, according to the New York Times, but carries fewer penalties than if the group were named a “foreign terrorist organization,” which would include a travel ban on members of the organization.
A senior administration official said in a press call on Wednesday they believed this new designation “is the appropriate tool at the moment to pressure the Houthis” as it gives “better flexibility” to target the group—which controls part of Yemen—while lessening the risk of impacting humanitarian aid, CNN reported.
The designation will go into effect on Feb. 16, and in the meantime, officials are working on ways to ensure the designation doesn’t heavily impact civilians in Yemen who could be impacted by the penalties.
“These attacks against international shipping have endangered mariners, disrupted the free flow of commerce, and interfered with navigational rights and freedoms,” read Blinken’s statement.
In Wednesday’s statement, Blinken said if they stop the attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, “the United States will reevaluate this designation.”