By Al-Fassel | 2024-01-18

The United States on Wednesday (January 17) renewed its designation of the Iran-backed Houthis as a terrorist group due to their repeated attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

The move was announced after US forces on Tuesday struck Yemen to destroy anti-ship missiles in Houthi-controlled areas, and as 26 aid groups expressed concern about the impact of a military escalation on Yemen.

The new terrorist group designation, poised to go into effect in 30 days, "seeks to promote accountability for the group's terrorist activities," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will reevaluate this designation," Blinken said.

The Houthis, however, said Wednesday that they will not call off their strikes.

"Since November, the Houthis have launched unprecedented attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as military forces positioned in the area to defend the safety and security of commercial shipping," Blinken said.

"These attacks against international shipping have endangered mariners, disrupted the free flow of commerce, and interfered with navigational rights and freedoms," he said.

"The Houthis must be held accountable for their actions, but it should not be at the expense of Yemeni civilians," Blinken added.

He noted that the United States is "taking significant steps to mitigate any adverse impacts this designation may have on the people of Yemen."

Massive disruption in Red Sea

The new designation comes as the Houthis continue to attack commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, causing massive disruption to international shipping and forcing many companies to reroute their vessels.

US forces on Tuesday struck and destroyed four anti-ship missiles in Yemen, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"These missiles were prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and presented an imminent threat to both merchant and US Navy ships in the region," it said in a statement.

The Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes on Tuesday, the US military said, and a Maltese-flagged bulk carrier reported that it was hit but remained seaworthy.

The United States and United Kingdom targeted nearly 30 sites in Yemen with more than 150 munitions last week, while US forces later attacked a Houthi radar site in what was described as "a follow-on action."

US forces last week seized Iran-made missile parts en route to the Houthis.

"This is the first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis since the beginning of Houthi attacks against merchant ships in November 2023," CENTCOM said.

Impact of Houthis' threats

The United States had previously listed the Houthis as a "specially designated global terrorist" entity but dropped the classification in 2021.

The removal came in response to fears from aid groups that they would need to pull out of Yemen as they are obliged to deal with the Houthis, who serve as the de facto government in areas they control, including Sanaa, AFP reported.

The United States decided to renew the terrorist designation because it "provides better flexibility to achieve the aims that we have in terms of carving out and safeguarding humanitarian assistance, as well as the broader well-being of the people of Yemen," a senior administration official said.

In a joint statement issued Tuesday, 26 aid groups working in Yemen expressed serious concern about the military escalation, warning it will delay shipments and push up prices in the heavily aid-dependent country.

Signatories included CARE, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children.

"The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains one of the largest in the world and escalation will only worsen the situation for vulnerable civilians and hinder the ability of aid organizations to deliver critical services," the statement said.

"The impact of the security threat in the Red Sea is already being felt by humanitarian actors as disruption to trade is pushing up prices and causing delays in shipments of lifesaving goods," it added.

"Further escalation could result in more organizations being forced to halt their operations in areas where there are ongoing hostilities," the statement said.

Last month, the World Food Program suspended food distribution in Houthi-controlled Yemen because of funding cuts and disagreements with the group.

In October, Save the Children suspended operations in northern Yemen after a staff member died in detention in Sanaa.

US wants 'de-escalation'

The United States wants a "de-escalation" in the Middle East despite its strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.

"We seek to stop the spread of conflict and to create the conditions for de-escalation," Sullivan said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Sullivan said the course of the conflict with the Houthis depended on "those with influence in Tehran and influence in other capitals in the Middle East."

He said that the United States saw a "pathway" to preventing the Israel-Hamas war from escalation into a larger conflict.

"We are eagerly working with partners throughout the region to try and pursue a pathway," Sullivan said.

"But in the meantime, we have to guard against and be vigilant against the possibility that, in fact, rather than heading towards de-escalation, we are on a path of escalation that we have to manage," he said.