Washington in a dilemma even if Houthis are reinstated on the Terrorism List
A major dilemma has befallen the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden regarding dealing with Houthi militias in Yemen. After more than two years of removing them from the terrorism lists, a decision that raised international eyebrows at the time, the administration now says it is reconsidering the reclassification.
According to Yemeni experts, the Biden administration acknowledges its mistakes in dealing with the Houthis. However, it fears criticism and the validation of the decisions made by the prominent rival in the upcoming elections, former President Donald Trump, who designated the Houthis as terrorists. As a result, the decision has not been taken directly, and there are hints at the possibility of reclassifying the Houthis as a terrorist organization in an attempt to pressure them into releasing the hijacked ship two days ago.
Analysts affirm that Houthi naval attacks, including those crossing borders towards Israel, have placed the U.S. administration in a real dilemma. It is obligated to globally counter Houthi terrorism and reconsider placing the group back on the terrorism list, while simultaneously navigating the challenges posed by the Trump administration’s previous decisions.
The recent hijacking of a merchant ship by the Houthis has once again brought their piracy and attacks to the forefront. These attacks, occurring between 2016 and 2023, have targeted over 35 shipping incidents in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Experts argue that the ship hijacking carries explicit extortion messages to the world from a powerful regional state supporting the Houthi militias. The goal is to keep Yemen as a threat to global and regional interests and to use it as a major destabilizing force.
Regarding the terrorism list, experts believe that the escalating Houthi violence confirms that Biden‘s decision to remove them from the list was a mistake. The group has not demonstrated a commitment to peace in recent years.
Abdulsttar Al-Shamiri, the head of a study center in Yemen, suggests that Houthi actions against Israel and piracy in the Red Sea may force Washington to reclassify them as a terrorist organization. He emphasizes that such a change in the U.S. stance may not significantly alter the Yemeni landscape but could affect the way the coalition supporting legitimacy deals with the Houthi militias.
The Yemeni political researcher notes that the war in Yemen has reached a challenging stage, with military or political resolution failures. Initiatives to persuade Iran, a supporter of the Houthis, to make concessions in the Yemeni issue have been unsuccessful.
According to Al-Shamiri, there are various expectations for the situation in Yemen after the militia’s attempted attacks on Israel. One prominent expectation is that new rounds of war may occur, but they could be less costly and intermittent, involving periods of prolonged calm followed by renewed hostilities.
Center of Attention
On his part, Yemeni military expert Colonel Mohsen Naji stated that “Houthi threats and attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea are nothing more than interference, mere media and political propaganda, manifestations that embody that the militias are one of Iran’s military arms, as this is done by Iranian orders.”
He added that “the missile strikes claimed by the Houthis, which they said targeted Israel, as well as the piracy and threats to ships, do not represent anything and will not change under any circumstances the ‘fascist aggressive war equation against the Palestinian people.'”
He affirmed that “what the Houthi militias want from these alleged attacks directed towards Israel, which is about 2,200 kilometers away from Yemen, and towards ships, aims to divert people’s attention from the tragic internal situation that the Yemeni citizen is suffering in the areas under their control.”
Moreover, it “wants to market itself and appear as if it has become a difficult factor not only in the Yemeni political equation but in the regional equation as well. Defeating them militarily is now a thing of the past,” according to the military expert.
According to Naji, “based on the current political data, it is unlikely, at least in the foreseeable future, that the United States will reconsider putting the Houthis back on the list of terrorist organizations, fearing that such a move would impact the peace process led by Saudi Arabia with American support, which sees the war in Yemen as having exhausted its role and usefulness.”
“As for Iran at the moment, it does not want to engage in a military confrontation with the United States, which has mobilized its military fleets to deter Iran and prevent it, and its military arms spread in many Arab countries, from entering into a confrontation with Israel, which has been besieging Gaza for more than a month,” according to Naji.
In this context, Yemeni legal expert Mukhtar Al-Wafi affirmed that “Houthi attacks on Israel and against ships come within a political and media framework. This is to show Iran’s capabilities in the region and promote it. Thus, it makes Iran a powerful force, threatening America’s interests in the region.”
The legal expert stated that “these attacks are not effective against Israel due to the difficulty of reaching it and its geographical distance,” noting that “this may lead to American concerns that its passing ships through the Bab el Mandeb Strait may be affected. Currently, they do not want to open any conflict with the Houthi militias.”
Al-Wafi pointed out that “America’s change in its position towards the Houthi militias and reclassifying them as a terrorist group depends on political and realistic matters related to America’s allies in the region. If possible, it may be reintegrated into the terrorism lists.”
What Al-Wafi stated was supported by the former editor-in-chief of the Socialist Party’s Al-Thawri newspaper, Khaled Salman, noting that “Houthi piracy in international waters and passages forces global companies to lift insurance on commercial ships carrying wheat, oil, and baby formula coming to Yemen, considering the Red Sea a high-risk area.”
Salman pointed out that “the Houthi militias‘ kidnapping of a ship without Israelis and threatening it with more achieves, in the eyes of their supporters, a false championship for the militia leader and imposes on the people the cost of his recklessness, adding war and hunger to it.”
Record of Attacks
The Houthi militia’s hijacking of the “Galaxy Leader” ship, which was sailing near the island of Kamran in the Red Sea before being taken to the Salif port north of Hodeidah province, was not the first operation and will not be the last in light of international laxity towards militias disrupting maritime security.
Houthi attacks have been ongoing since 2016, with over 35 terrorist operations, including attacks and piracy. The darkest years were 2018 and 2022, witnessing 14 attacks against cargo ships.
In 2016, the Houthis carried out 4 attacks targeting the “Swift” and “Spirit” ships and two American destroyers, one of which was the “USS Mason.” The U.S. Navy responded with targeted strikes on Houthi positions on the west coast of Yemen.
In 2017, the Houthis attacked 6 Saudi and Emirati ships near the ports of “Mokha” and “Hodeidah,” but the Arab coalition intercepted these attacks, which involved the use of explosive-laden boats and guided missiles.
As for 2018, it saw around 7 attacks on cargo ships. The Houthis followed the same approach of using boats and guided missiles, targeting more than 4 coastal points, mostly off the ports of Hodeidah and Salif and near the island of Hanish.
These attacks targeted ships such as the “Nebhan,” “Abqaiq,” the Turkish oil tanker “Inci Efe,” “Arsan,” and “Fos Thea.”
2019 was the year with the lowest incidents, witnessing two terrorist attacks affecting a commercial ship and another cargo ship named “Hasan.” This decrease was attributed to international movements in the Red Sea, driven by the signing of the Stockholm Agreement at the end of 2018, which the Houthis exploited to control Hodeidah until today.
Houthi attacks in 2020 reached 6, targeting ships like “Gladious” off the port of Hodeidah, the British oil tanker “Stotta Pal,” “Ajrari,” a Saudi ship, and the “BW Rhine” tanker. The ship “Sera” was attacked by planting explosive devices when anchored in the port of Redom.
In 2021, the Houthi militias attacked a ship flying the Singaporean flag called “Thuraya Hermia” and the oil tanker “Albreta.” The latter was attacked by drones for the first time.
In the beginning of 2022, the Houthi militias hijacked the Emirati ship “Rawabi” in an armed attack led by the terrorist Mansour Al-Saadi and the border-crosser Ahmed Hals.
Moreover, the yacht “La Cota” off the coast of Hodeidah, the ship “Sera,” “Hana,” the oil tanker “Nisos Kia,” the chemical carrier “Aram,” and the ship “Pratika” were all attacked, the latter docked in the ports of Dhiba in Hadramout, Redom, and Qena in Shabwah.
Recently, Senator Steve Daines, a Republican from Montana, introduced a bill seeking to reclassify the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization due to their actions aimed at destabilizing the region.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump‘s administration had previously classified the Houthis as a terrorist organization, but the Biden administration reversed this decision as one of its first actions in office.
