The United States implicitly acknowledges its mistake… Will the Houthis be reclassified as a “Terrorist Organization”?
The United States has announced that it is reconsidering the classification of the Houthi group as a terrorist organization, in light of their seizure of a ship in the Red Sea and their threat to international navigation in the region.
White House spokesperson John Kirby stated in a press conference yesterday that the Houthi rebels’ seizure of a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea constitutes a blatant violation of international law. He added that Iran is involved in the incident, according to Reuters.
He further stated that the United States is reviewing “terrorism classifications,” urging the Houthis to release the ship and its crew unconditionally. Kirby continued, saying, “In light of the piracy of a ship in international waters, we have begun reviewing potential terrorism classifications, and we will explore other options with our allies and partners as well.”
These statements put the U.S. administration in a dilemma, as it implicitly admits to the mistake in dealing with the Houthis. Thus, it hints at the possibility of reclassifying the movement as a terrorist organization.
The recent hijacking of a commercial ship by the Houthis has brought their piracy and attacks back to the forefront. From 2016 to 2023, the Houthis carried out more than 35 terrorist acts against cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
The Houthi militias launched four attacks in 2016, targeting the “Swift,” “Spirit,” and two American destroyers, one of them the USS Mason. In response, the U.S. Navy conducted targeted strikes against Houthi positions on the western coast of Yemen.
In 2017, the Houthis attacked six Saudi and Emirati ships off the ports of Mokha and Hodeidah. However, the Arab coalition intercepted these attacks, which involved the use of explosive-laden boats and guided missiles.
In 2018, there were about (7) attacks on cargo ships, following the same pattern of attacks with boats and guided missiles, originating from more than (4) coastal points, mostly off the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and near the island of Hanish.
These attacks targeted the ships “Neban,” “Abqaiq,” the Turkish oil tanker “Inci Efe,” “Arsan,” and “Fos Theia.”
The year 2019 saw a significant decrease with only two terrorist attacks, targeting a merchant ship and a cargo ship named “Hasan.” This was attributed to international efforts in the Red Sea, driven by the signing of the Stockholm Agreement at the end of 2018. The Houthis exploited this to gain control of Hodeidah until today.
Houthi attacks in 2020 reached six, targeting ships such as “Gladys,” off the Hodeidah port, the British oil tanker “Stolt Apal,” “Agarari,” a Saudi ship, the British ship “BW Rhine,” and the ship “Sira,” which was attacked by planting explosive devices when anchored in the port of Radhom.
In 2021, Houthi militias attacked a ship flying the Singaporean flag, named “Thorm Hermia,” and the oil tanker “Alberta,” which was attacked by drones for the first time.
In the opening of 2022, Houthi militias hijacked the Emirati ship “Rawabi” in an armed attack led by the terrorist Mansour Al-Saadi and the border smuggler Ahmad Hals.
The yacht “La Cota” off the coast of Hodeidah was subjected to an armed Houthi attack in addition to the ships “Sira,” “Hana,” the Turkish oil tanker “Nissos Kia,” the chemical carrier “Aram,” and the ship “Pratika,” which was anchored in the ports of Dhaba in Hadramout, Radhom, and Qana in Shabwa.
It is worth noting that more than two years ago, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden removed Iran-backed militias from terrorism lists, a decision that raised international eyebrows at that time.
