Washington [US], January 18: The US has returned the Houthi forces in Yemen to the list of terrorist organizations after a series of attacks by this group on international shipping routes in the Red Sea recently.
Reuters on January 17 quoted US officials as saying that President Joe Biden's administration has placed the Houthis on the list of "specially designated global terrorists" (SDGT). The decision is aimed at cutting off funding and weapons for the Houthis, which the force uses to attack and rob ships in the Red Sea , according to Reuters.
"These attacks fit the document's definition of terrorism," one of the US officials said. The decision will take effect after 30 days. This move will prevent the Houthis from accessing the US financial system and allow Washington to issue sanctions on Houthi supporters .
Mr. Biden's previous administration added Houthi names to two terrorist lists right before leaving office. The action has the United Nations and aid groups concerned that sanctions will disrupt the flow of food, fuel and goods into Yemen, which is experiencing a war between the Houthis and an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Ut leads.
In February 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed Houthi's name from the above two lists because of the serious humanitarian situation in Yemen. According to the decision on January 17, the Houthis were only included in the SDGT without being listed as a "foreign terrorist organization", thereby not being subject to more stringent sanctions.
The US move was made after this country and the UK carried out bombardments of Houthi targets in Yemen in response to attacks on boats in the Red Sea . On January 16, the US military attacked and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed force that controls most of Yemen, say the attacks are aimed at supporting the Palestinians amid the conflict in the Gaza Strip . The Houthis have threatened a "strong and effective" response, considering Israeli, US and British ships as legitimate targets. Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said that the US action would not prevent the forces from continuing to target Israeli ships or ships headed towards Israel.
A US official said the decision was in the hands of the Houthis and the US would consider removing this force from the terrorist list if the attacks on maritime routes stopped.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
