Houthis “foreign terrorist organisation”
The US has now redesignated the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation” – one of the first moves by President Donald Trump in his new term in office.

A White House statement explained that US policy was to now cooperate with regional partners, to:
1. eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations
2. and deprive them of resources.

Abdusalam Mohammed, head of Yemen’s Abaad Studies and Research Center, told Al Jazeera:
“The US redesignation of the Houthi group as a foreign terrorist organisation is part of the West’s broader campaign against Iran’s proxies in the region,”

The redesignation of the Houthis, is a prologue to,
1. a [wider] Western military operation to weaken or
2. dismember the Houthi group.

The resolution has enraged the Houthis, who say that the US intends to worsen the suffering of the Yemeni people due to their support for Palestinians.

The Houthi Political Office in Sanaa called on “free nations” to denounce the US decision, stating:
“Our armed forces will remain on alert and ready for any military escalation in Yemen.”

“With their designation as a terrorist group, the Houthis have lost the opportunity to resolve the conflict in Yemen through peace talks.
The West now appears more inclined to eliminate the group rather than include it in a comprehensive diplomatic process,” said Mohammed.

The Houthis will not be allowed to “act unchecked”, said Khalfan al-Touqi, an Omani political and economic analyst.

“Following the weakening of other Iranian proxies in the region, the West – particularly the US and the UK – sees this as a golden opportunity to diminish the Houthi group’s power as much as possible,”