Demands to reclassify Houthis as terrorist organization

UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al-Otaibi and Abu Dhabi’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, have called on Washington to reclassify the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” and impose deterrent sanctions on them, as well as enhance the missile and anti-aircraft defense capabilities of US allies in the region to repel the group’s attacks from Yemen.

In an article published by al-Otaibah and al-Nusseibeh in the Washington Post, the two Emirati diplomats demanded “diplomatic pressure” and deterrent economic sanctions against the Houthis.

Al-Otaibi and Nusseibeh called on Washington to reclassify the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization and stressed that the move would cut off the supply of weapons to them and limit their military capabilities without affecting humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people.
In the article, the two Emirati diplomats pointed out to the American administration that the Iranian-backed Yemeni group benefited from its removal from the list of “foreign terrorist organizations” last February, by intensifying its attacks on civilian targets.
The article mentioned Washington that the Houthis stormed the compound of the American embassy in Sanaa, kidnapped a number of its employees, blew up a humanitarian relief warehouse, and detained a ship carrying medical aid in the Red Sea. It pointed out that the Houthis refused to engage in the peaceful political process, and they wanted to increase their attacks on Saudi cities and towns recently.

The article referred to a report issued by the United Nations Security Council, which shows that Iran is supplying the Houthis with weapons in violation of the UN arms embargo, and pointed out that Washington has confiscated thousands of weapons that Tehran is likely to have sent to the Houthis in Yemen, in addition to the training received by the group by military experts from the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Al-Otaibi and Nusseibeh’s claims in the article included providing Washington’s allies in the region, such as the UAE, with better defensive capabilities by providing more effective anti-missile systems and drones, highlighting the role of batteries and the THAD system in preventing greater loss of life during last January’s attacks, and affirming the UAE’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Washington.

The two UAE diplomats stressed that the UAE is working toward easing tensions and building hope for the future while committing to self-defense, citing as an example that the normalization of direct relations with Israel has opened up new opportunities for the region’s future.

The United States yesterday threatened to impose new sanctions on the Houthis in Yemen, following their recent attacks, particularly targeting the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking at a press conference, State Department spokesman Ned Price told Reuters: “We have taken several steps, including over the past few weeks and months, and I expect that we will take further steps in light of the condemnable attacks from Yemen by the Houthis in recent days and weeks”.

On a related note, the Pentagon announced that the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, informed Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Emirati Armed Forces, in a phone call the day before yesterday, that U.S. 5th Generation fighter jets and the destroyer USS Cole will be deployed to help the Emirates face threats, in a clear indication that the United States stands by the Emirates as a “long-term strategic partner”.