Trump Reclassifies the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” Yemeni Government Welcomes the Move

23rd January 2025

2 minutes read

Trump Reclassifies the Houthis as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization," Yemeni Government Welcomes the Move

The Yemeni government welcomed the United States’ decision to designate the Houthi militia as a “foreign terrorist organization,” considering it an essential step in combating these militias that continue to threaten regional and international security.

Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani stated that this decision reflects global awareness of the dangers posed by the Houthi militia’s terrorist actions, including their repeated attacks on international shipping, targeting of civilians and infrastructure, and their role in destabilizing the region with direct support from Iran.

Al-Eryani called on the international community, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, to take similar steps to classify the Houthis as a “global terrorist organization” and to intensify efforts to cut off their financial, military, and media resources to ensure regional and international security and stability.

He warned Yemeni citizens against engaging with the Houthi militia, which seeks to exploit them as tools to achieve its destructive goals, prolong the war, and exacerbate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

The Yemeni Minister of Information also stressed that any engagement with these terrorist militias, whether material or moral, subjects those involved to legal accountability.

He renewed his call for all Yemenis to unite behind the Presidential Leadership Council, led by President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, its members, and the legitimate government, to work towards ending the control of these terrorist militias over the resources of the Yemeni people and contributing to the restoration of the state and the building of a safe and stable future.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday reclassifying the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.

Trump initially designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization in January 2021. However, the Biden administration reversed this designation within a month of taking office, before later reclassifying them as a global terrorist organization.

The White House stated that “as a result of the Biden administration’s weak policies, the Houthis fired dozens of times on U.S. Navy warships, launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure in partner countries, and attacked commercial vessels transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait more than 100 times.”