The State Department will look into the January decision to designate the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist organization in the twilight of the Trump administration.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that designating the Houthis, also known as Ansarallah, as a foreign terrorist organization would give the United States more tools to fight terrorism in the region, although some aid groups condemned the move and argued that it would impede their ability to provide humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people. While the designation went into effect a day before President Biden was sworn in, it could soon be reversed.
“Ansarallah, sometimes known as the Houthis, bears significant responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe and insecurity in Yemen. We strongly believe that Ansarallah needs to change its behavior,” a State Department spokesperson told the Hill. “At the same time, we must also ensure that we are not impeding the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken has expressed his desire to reverse the designation and told lawmakers he would attempt to remove the designation “immediately” after being sworn into office.
Blinken said his “deep concern about the designation that was made is that at least on its surface it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to bring them back to the negotiating table, while making it even more difficult than it already is to provide humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need it.”
A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has been in a fight against the Houthis, who overthrew the Yemeni government roughly five years ago and have attacked Saudi oil sites and infrastructure. The conflict is somewhat of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Tehran has armed and supported the rebels, while the U.S. has supplied weapons to the kingdom.
