The Biden administration is expected to soon announce plans to redesignate Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as specially designated global terrorists, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the decision and a US official.
The Trump administration, days before it left office in 2021, designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.
However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reversed the decision days later, saying the move was driven by concerns that the designation could imperil the ability to deliver crucial assistance to the people of Yemen.
The move to redesignate the Iranian-backed rebels comes as the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in recent weeks. The rebels have upped the volume of their attacks since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
The administration is expected to make the announcement on Wednesday, the US official told AP.
The specially designated global terrorists label to be reimposed on the Houthis does not include sanctions for providing “material support” and it does not come with travel bans that are also imposed with the FTO label. Thus, it may not pose a substantial impediment to providing aid to Yemeni civilians, according to AP.
US and British strikes targeted the Houthis last Thursday and Friday, after the Biden administration and its allies warned the Iran-backed group it would bear the consequences of its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Two days before the US and British strikes, the two armies shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by the Houthis towards the Red Sea, in what was one of the biggest attacks by the group to date.
On Sunday night, US fighter aircraft downed an anti-ship cruise missile fired at a US Navy destroyer from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, CENTCOM said.
The missile was fired toward USS Laboon, which was operating in the southern Red Sea. No injuries or damage were reported.
On Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack carried out on an American vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
The United States Central Command said in a statement that the ship in question, the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, sustained minor damage and did not report any injuries.