Trump re-designates Yemen's Ansarullah as foreign terrorist organization

US President Donald Trump has officially designated Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), returning the group to the same status it held at the end of his first administration.

The US listed Ansarullah as a terrorist organization following its attacks on Israeli-occupied territories, assaults on US Navy warships and Israel-linked vessels in the region, since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023.

"The Houthis' activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade," the White House claimed in a statement.

The White House also said that Ansarullah has attacked commercial vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait more than 100 times, resulting in the deaths of at least four sailors and forcing several ships in the Red Sea to change course, contributing to global inflation.

“Under President Trump, it is now the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby end their attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” the statement added.

The decree relisting Yemen’s resistance movement as a terrorist organization directs the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to terminate its affiliations with organizations that have provided financial support to the group or resisted initiatives aimed at combating it.

Under the new directive, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is required to report to the president within 30 days, after consulting with the director of National Intelligence and the secretary of the Treasury, on the designation of Ansarullah in accordance with US law. Following this report, appropriate actions must be taken within 15 days.

Previously, a group of 15 US senators, including Rubio had called for a new strategic approach to counter Yemen’s resistance group, advocating for its re-designation as an FTO and seeking measures to reduce its capabilities in the Red Sea.

In the closing days of his first tenure, Trump classified the Yemeni group as a “foreign terrorist organization” and a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) entity.

Just weeks after taking office, Joe Biden's administration overturned the designations, highlighting the urgent humanitarian crisis in Yemen as a key reason for the reversal. However, last year, Biden redirected that Ansarullah be recognized as SDGT.

Trump’s order came just hours after Ansarullah announced it had released 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader cargo vessel “in support of the ceasefire" that took effect in Gaza on Sunday. The cargo was seized on November 19, 2023, in support of Palestinians.

The US, UK, and Israel have launched attacks across Yemen in an attempt to stop the country’s pro-Palestine military operations.

However, Yemen, steadfast in its support of resistance, has announced that the resistance fighters are ready to resume anti-Israeli operations if Tel Aviv violates the ceasefire deal in Gaza.

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