President Biden on Wednesday designated the Houthis as terrorists, a partial reversal of his removal of the Iran-backed group from the list of foreign terrorist organizations.
The move comes days after the U.S. launched strikes on the Iran-backed group’s facilities in Yemen in retaliation for months of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
“These attacks fit the textbook definition of terrorism. They have endangered U.S. personnel civilian mariners and our partners, jeopardized global trade and threatened freedom of navigation,” Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, said in a statement.
Mr. Sullivan said the designation will take effect within 30 days to ensure that humanitarian carve-outs are in place so the tag won’t affect the shipment of food and medicine into Yemen , where the Houthis are based.
Under the action, the Houthis will be labeled a “specially designated global terrorist” group. The move stops short of applying the more severe designation of “foreign terrorist organization,” which President Trump imposed on the Houthis in his final days in office.
“We are rolling out unprecedented carve-outs and licenses to help prevent adverse impacts on the Yemeni people. The people of Yemen should not pay the price for the actions of the Houthis . We are sending a clear message: Commercial shipments into Yemeni ports on which the Yemeni people rely for food, medicine and fuel should continue and are not covered by our sanctions,” Mr. Sullivan said.
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In February 2021, Mr. Biden formally delisted the Houthis from the foreign terrorist organization and specially designated global terrorist lists, reversing Mr. Trump’s decision.
Mr. Biden announced the change three years ago as part of his effort to change the U.S. approach to the civil war in Yemen . He also said the U.S. would no longer support offensive operations in Yemen , where war had been raging since 2015.
The United Nations and humanitarian groups opposed the designation, arguing it could hinder access to food and fuel in Yemen and exacerbate a humanitarian crisis amid its civil war.
Some Republicans say Mr. Biden’s flip-flop on the Houthis is a sign he’s weak on terror, possibly opening up a line of attack against him as the 2024 election nears.
“Removing them from the list of terror organizations was a deadly mistake and another failed attempt to appease the ayatollah,” Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, said in a statement referencing Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mr. Biden last week said the Houthis are terrorists but that it was “irrelevant” to designate them as such. The action on Wednesday suggests that the administration felt it was important to restore the foreign terrorist organization to the Houthis .
The tag bars individuals or companies in the U.S. from offering any financial or other support to the group and prohibits its members from entering America. It also bans U.S. financial institutions from handling the Houthis ‘ assets and requires banks to freeze any funds they hold belonging to the group.
Since Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists raided Israel, sparking the war in Gaza, the Houthis have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks against Israeli territory and commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The attacks have disrupted the global supply chain, forcing many of the world’s biggest shipping companies, oil producers and other cargo firms to divert vessels from the region. The results are increased shipping times and a surge in oil prices and insurance rates.
In mid-December, the U.S. and other nations banded together a multinational naval force to protect ships in the Red Sea.
On Tuesday, the U.S. struck militants at Houthi sites in Yemen . It was the third such attack in less than a week and came one day after the Houthis fired a missile at a U.S.-owned and operated container ship. No injuries were reported on the ship.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.