The United States is expected to designate the Yemeni Houthis as a terrorist organization in response to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The Biden administration removed the terrorist designation from the Houthis in 2021. The Houthis were launched into the international spotlight recently after declaring war on Israel amid the War in Gaza and launching attacks against international shipping. In response to this, sources told the Associated Press, the Biden administration will once again designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization.
The United States announced a multinational naval coalition to protect the Red Sea straights in mid-December after numerous hijackings and missile attacks from the group. In response, the Houthis pledged to not only continue their attacks, but to target U.S. vessels with advanced anti-ship missiles.
On Thursday, the U.S. and the United Kingdom finally followed through on their threats, hitting dozens of targets in Yemen with air and missile strikes. Two more rounds of strikes soon followed, with promises of more if provocations continued.
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Designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization will put further international pressure on the group and possibly allow for greater action to be taken against them.
Despite the U.S. and U.K. strikes, the Houthis have shown no signs of ending their attacks on shipping, instead vowing to ramp up attacks on military and civilian vessels alike.
