State Department defends removing Houthis from terror list despite ensuing civilian attacks

Secretary of State Antony Blinken intends to reverse his predecessor’s decision to label Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist organization, despite a new round of “attacks impacting civilian areas” in the days after he made that decision.

“This intent to revoke that designation has nothing to do with our view of the Houthis and their reprehensible conduct, including, as you mentioned, attacks against civilians and the kidnapping of American citizens, among other moves,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday. “Our planned action … is due, as I said before, to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation.”