Trump: Houthis to be Added to Foreign Terrorist Organizations List

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced through an executive order that the process for designating Yemen's 'Ansar Allah', known as the Houthis, as a foreign terrorist organization 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 1402 (2023) and has also conducted attacks against civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel. This militant group in Yemen has also attacked commercial ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait over 100 times, resulting in the deaths of at least four civilian sailors and increased global shipping 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 previously added this Iran-backed group to the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations during his first term, but Joe Biden 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 'special terrorist groups' following an increase in Houthi drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Additionally, several Republican lawmakers have called for the 'immediate' designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization. A group of American lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties urged the Biden administration last summer to elevate this Iran-backed group to the 'foreign terrorist organizations' list following a Houthi drone attack on Israel. 'Foreign terrorist organizations' is an official classification 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 argue that the Houthis carry out missile attacks in the region under the orders of the Islamic Republic, endangering maritime trade and the lives of civilian sailors. Meanwhile, this week, the deputy of the legitimate Yemeni government based in Aden called on Western countries to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the weakening of the Islamic Republic in Iran to target and confront the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Aidroos al-Zubaidi stated in an interview with The Guardian, '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 area, which is Yemen and the Houthis.' In response to Houthi missile attacks, Israel has bombed their positions several times, causing significant damage. Yemen is considered the poorest Arab country, but 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. Houthi claims: 'We only attack ships related to Israel.' Tracking and destruction of two Houthi ballistic missiles by the Israeli army. The U.S. ambassador to China: Beijing should reconsider its relations with the Iranian government. Israeli attacks on Houthi positions; Katz: A clear message to Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Gideon Sa'ar: The Iranian government is a threat to Israel and Ukraine.