Trump begins the process of returning the Yemeni Houthis to the list of ‘terrorist’ organizations | News about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The US president has ordered the aid agency to cut ties with entities that have paid the rebel group or opposed efforts to counter it.
United States President Donald Trump has initiated the process of re-designating Yemen’s Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization,” the White House said.
Trump’s executive order signed Wednesday directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to submit a report on the appointment within 30 days after consulting with the director of national intelligence and the Treasury secretary.
Rubio would then have 15 days to “take all appropriate action” regarding the designation of the rebel group, also known as Ansar Allah.
Trump’s order to review the status of the Houthis is essentially a formality as a subsequent White House statement confirmed that Rubio, who had called for repeated resignations while a senator, had been ordered to recommend listing.
Trump designated the Yemeni group as a “foreign terrorist organization” and a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) entity during the final days of his first term.
Former US President Joe Biden’s administration rescinded Trump’s appointments a few weeks after taking office, with former Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing “recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen”.
The Biden administration reimposed the SDGT designation — the narrower of the two classifications — last January in response to repeated attacks by the rebel group on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The White House said in a statement that Biden’s “weak policies” had resulted in the Houthis firing on US Navy warships dozens of times, targeting commercial vessels more than 100 times and attacking civilian infrastructure in partner countries.
“Under President Trump, it is now the policy of the United States to work with its regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby end their attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners and naval forces. navigation in the Red Sea”, announced the White House.
After relisting the Houthis, Trump’s order also directs the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to “terminate its relationship” with entities that have made payments to the group or opposed efforts to counter it by “turning a blind eye” to its “terrorism and abuse”.
Trump’s order came just hours after The Houthis announced that they had freed the crew of the cargo ship Galaxy Leaderwhich was taken over by a group linked to Iran shortly after the start of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The group’s Supreme Political Council said it had approved the release of 25 crew members as part of its efforts to shore up a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began on Sunday.
