President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to redesignate Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a “foreign terrorist organization,” calling the group a threat to regional security, the White House said. Critics argued the move will worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis in the country.
The order restores a designation given to the group, which is backed by Iran and formally known as Ansar Allah, late in the first Trump administration. The Biden administration lifted the designation shortly after taking office, partly to facilitate peace talks in Yemen’s civil war.
Last year, however, the Biden team reversed course, labeling the Houthis a “specially designated global terrorist” organization — a less severe category — in response to attacks against U.S. warships in the Red Sea.
“The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners and the stability of global maritime trade,” the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mr. Trump’s executive order said U.S. policy would seek to “eliminate Ansar Allah’s capabilities and operations,” in cooperation with regional partners. It also called for the U.S. Agency for International Development to review the operations of United Nations partners, private aid agencies and contractors working in Yemen and to sever ties with any entities that have made payments to the Houthis or opposed international efforts to counter the group.
Yemen is home to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 18 million people — over half the population — requiring assistance, according to the United Nations.
“The designation will also impact the vital lifeline of remittances to Yemenis living in Houthi-controlled areas which accounts for a vast majority of the country’s population,” said Abdulwasea Mohammed, Oxfam in Yemen’s policy, advocacy and media manager. “A designation would push the entire country’s economy from crisis into free fall.”
During its first term, the Trump administration cited the Houthis’ missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as evidence of their threat to regional stability. U.S. officials also hoped the designation would pressure the Houthis to engage in peace talks.
The Biden administration’s initial reversal of the terrorist designation drew criticism from regional allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, the Houthis, who act as the de facto government in much of northern Yemen, have fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel in solidarity with Hamas.
Israel on Thursday welcomed the redesignation of the Houthis.
“The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Israel without any provocation on its part,” the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said on X. “This is an important step in fighting terror and combating the destabilizing elements in our region.”
The rebels have also attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, disrupted global shipping trade through key marine routes for traffic for Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
On Sunday, the group announced it would scale back its attacks, given a cease-fire in the conflict in Gaza that went into effect over the weekend.
