A Number of Republican Legislators in the U.S. Call for Immediate Designation of Houthis as a Terrorist Organization

Dozens of Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to "urgently" designate Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, as a foreign terrorist organization. According to Fox News, 54 Republican lawmakers, led by Darrell Issa of California, stated: "We are very concerned that the government will once again fail to designate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization." Former President Donald Trump had placed the Houthis on the list of foreign terrorist organizations, but Biden revoked that decision early in his presidency, citing the negative impact of sanctions on the ordinary people of Yemen. Following an increase in Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, under the pretext of supporting Palestinians, calls for re-designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization emerged. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on January 17 that the Iran-backed Houthis would be listed as an international terrorist group in the U.S. government's list of foreign terrorist organizations in 30 days. A senior Biden administration official last month referred to Houthi attacks, stating: "These attacks are a clear example of terrorism and a violation of international law, posing a significant threat to life, global trade, and humanitarian aid delivery." The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency confirmed on Tuesday, February 6, that the Iran-backed Houthis have used Iranian-made missiles and drones against military and civilian targets across the Middle East. According to the report, images of Iranian-made missiles and drones match the weapons used by Houthi forces to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea and civilian and port infrastructure in the region. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency confirmed the Houthis' use of Iranian missiles and drones in their attacks. The Houthis fired six more missiles in the Red Sea; the U.S. intercepted at least one missile. U.S. and allied military operations against the Houthis targeted a cruise missile and "36 other targets" in Yemen. U.S. and British attacks on Houthi positions; the Islamic Republic warned about "suspected espionage vessels." Israel: We intercepted a missile fired from the Red Sea. Blinken: The Houthis will be added back to the list of U.S. terrorist organizations.