The United States is planning to designate the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization in the twilight of the Trump administration.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the designation on Sunday and said the State Department would also identify three leaders of the Houthi movement, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al Hakim, as specially designated global terrorists. The designations are set to go into effect on Jan. 19, a day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the next president.

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