The U.S. will designate the Houthis as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group (SDTG) in response to attacks the group launched against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea — what the Houthis say is a response to Israel’s war against Hamas.
The SDTG label differs slightly from a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) label, a designation imposed by the Trump administration in 2021 but revoked by the Biden administration over concerns that it would block humanitarian assistance to Yemen.
Senior administration officials briefing reporters Tuesday night on the move said the SDTG designation gives the administration more flexibility in preserving humanitarian aid and commercial goods to Yemen for a population highly dependent on such deliveries.
The officials underscored that the SDTG designation was in direct response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and not against the broader activities of the group. This is part of a larger effort to preserve U.S. progress in helping mediate a cease-fire in Yemen’s nearly 10-year civil war between the Houthis in the north and the internationally recognized Yemeni government in the South.
“The ultimate goal of sanctions is to convince the Houthis to de-escalate and bring about a positive change in behavior,” a senior administration official said. “If the Houthis cease their attack, we can consider delisting this designation.”
The designation is expected to take effect on Feb. 16, giving the Biden administration a month to ensure humanitarian groups and businesses delivering life-sustaining goods to Yemen are not impacted by the terrorist designation label.
Republicans who were critical of the Trump administration’s designation of the Houthis as an FTO cited major concerns that such a designation would block life-saving aid for Yemeni civilians — an estimated 22 million people, half of them children, rely on humanitarian assistance.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
