Israel Welcomes U.S. Decision on Houthis

On Thursday, February 4, Israel welcomed the decision of Donald Trump's administration to add Ansar Allah, the group supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the list of foreign terrorist organizations. Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's Foreign Minister, reminded on social media platform 'X' of the unilateral attacks by the Houthis on his country, stating: 'The Houthis are a proxy group of the Iranian government that disrupts maritime freedom, threatens global trade, and destabilizes regional stability and global order.' The Foreign Minister considered the addition of the Houthis to the foreign terrorist organizations list by the Trump administration as 'an important step in the fight against terrorism and countering destabilizing elements in our region.' In this context, Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor to the U.S. President, on Wednesday, February 3, referred to Trump's executive order to reverse the 'horrific decision' of the Biden administration to remove the Houthis from the foreign terrorist organizations list, reminding that this terrorist group has attacked the U.S. Navy, international shipping, and Israel in recent months. The U.S. President, through an executive order, announced that the process of reviewing the inclusion of 'Ansar Allah' of Yemen, known as the Houthis, in the foreign terrorist organizations list has begun. According to this order, the U.S. Secretary of State is required to submit a report on this matter to the President within 30 days, after which necessary actions will be taken to officially declare this group as a terrorist organization. The order states that Ansar Allah, with the support of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has attacked U.S. Navy ships dozens of times since 2023 and has also conducted attacks against civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel. This militia group, which controls Sana'a, the capital, and other areas of Yemen, has also attacked commercial ships over 100 times in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, resulting in the deaths of at least four civilian sailors and increasing global maritime transportation costs. The U.S. government emphasized in this order that the activities of the Houthis threaten the security of American citizens and forces in the Middle East, the safety of regional allies, and the stability of global maritime trade. Donald Trump had added this Iran-backed group to the U.S. government's list of foreign terrorist organizations during his first term, but Joe Biden, after taking office, revoked that decision, arguing that 'delivering humanitarian aid to needy Yemenis has become difficult.' However, the Biden administration agreed in the winter of 1402 (2023) to classify them as 'specific terrorist groups' following an increase in Houthi drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Additionally, a group of U.S. lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties had called on the Biden administration to place the Houthis on the 'foreign terrorist organizations' list, referencing the Houthi drone attack on Israel. 'Foreign terrorist organizations' is an official designation that makes targeting and sanctioning those groups easier for the United States. The Islamic Republic is recognized as the main supplier of weapons to the Houthi rebels. The Iranian government claims it has no proxy groups, but many experts say the Houthis conduct missile strikes in the region at the behest of the Islamic Republic, endangering maritime trade and the lives of civilian sailors. Meanwhile, the deputy of the legitimate Yemeni government based in Aden recently urged Western countries to take advantage of the opportunity to weaken the Islamic Republic in the region by targeting and confronting the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Aidroos al-Zubaidi, in an interview with The Guardian, stated: 'The failures of the Islamic Republic in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza have severely weakened Tehran. They now only have one proxy group and one remaining sphere, which is Yemen and the Houthis.' In response to Houthi missile strikes, Israel has bombed their positions multiple times, causing significant damage. Yemen is considered the poorest Arab country, yet the Houthis decided to attack commercial ships and Israel after a ceasefire with Saudi Arabia. The legitimate Yemeni government has called for serious Western action against the Houthis. The Houthis claim: 'We only attack ships related to Israel.' The United States has called for 'immediate and decisive action' against the Houthis and their supporters. The Israeli army intercepted and destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles. Joe Biden stated: 'The Iranian government and its proxies have been severely weakened during my presidency.' Israeli attacks on Houthi positions were described by Katz as a clear message to Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Israel has intercepted Houthi missiles and drones supported by the Iranian government. CENTCOM reported that precise and multiple attacks were carried out against Houthi targets. The U.S. emphasized the need to hold the Iranian government accountable and stop Houthi attacks. Israel warned the Houthis: 'You will face the same dark fate as Iran's other proxies.'