Trump re-designates Yemen's Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organisation

U.S. President Donald Trump has redesignated Yemen's Houthi rebels as a "foreign terrorist organization," citing their attacks on Red Sea shipping and ties to Israel related to the Gaza war. This move is intended to address the threat the Houthis pose to regional security and global trade.

An order stated that “the activities of the Houthis threaten the safety of U.S. civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the security of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade.” The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) must cut ties with partners who make payments to Houthi entities or “critically engage” with the Iranian-backed group, which could impact humanitarian organizations.

The Houthis said the move was in response to their support for Palestinians by "the entire Yemeni people." They added in a statement that "the American designation reflects the extent of the current administration's bias towards usurping Zionist entities," referring to Israel. Previously, former U.S. President Joe Biden had removed the foreign terrorist organization (FTO) designation in 2021, citing the need to alleviate one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Yemen’s civil war has been escalating for a decade, when the Houthis seized control of the country’s northwest from the internationally recognized government, and a U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition intervened to try to restore its rule. The fighting has reportedly killed more than 150,000 people and triggered a humanitarian disaster, with 4.8 million people displaced and 19.5 million (half the population) in need of some form of aid. Despite the dire situation, Biden had redesignated the Houthis as a "specially designated global terrorist" last January, a lower designation than foreign terrorist organization, for their attacks on global shipping and Israel, which were linked to the Gaza war.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have attacked dozens of commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles, drones, and small boats. They have sunk two vessels, seized a third, and caused the deaths of four crew members. They say their actions are in support of Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and claim (often falsely) that they are only targeting ships linked to Israel, the U.S., or the U.K. The Houthis have not been deterred by the deployment of Western warships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to protect commercial shipping, or by multiple rounds of U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on Houthi military targets.

Israel has also conducted airstrikes on Houthi targets since July in retaliation for what the Israeli military says are 400 missiles and drones launched at the country from Yemen, most of which were shot down. The Houthis’ “specially designated global terrorist” designation requires U.S. financial institutions to freeze Houthi assets, and means its members are banned from entering the U.S. The “foreign terrorist organization” designation means that anyone in the U.S. or overseas who is suspected of providing support or resources to the Houthis could be prosecuted under a number of U.S. laws, including those prohibiting material support for terrorism.

Human rights groups have previously said this could prevent humanitarian organizations from operating in Houthi-controlled areas, where most of Yemen’s population lives. Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s internationally recognized presidential council, thanked Trump for the designation, saying it was “essential for accountability and a step towards peace and stability in Yemen and the region.”