Washington (NewsNation) – The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will re-list the Houthi rebel group as a specially designated global terror entity his attacks to the US military and Merchant ships in the Red Sea.

The designation comes in the middle escalating tensions US-led attacks occurred in the region in response to Houthi attacks. The Houthis have launched about 30 drone and missile attacks on international ships since November 2023.

A senior White House official called the Houthi attacks the “definition of terrorist attacks.”

Former President Donald Trump’s administration branded Ansarallah – also known as the Houthis – as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist in January 2021. The designations were intended to hold the Houthis accountable for their “terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks on civilian population, infrastructure and commercial shipping,” said Mike Pompeo, the top diplomat under Trump. said at the time.

A month later the… The Biden administration was revoked His predecessor’s designation was in “recognition of the terrible humanitarian situation in Yemen”. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision was aimed at ensuring that U.S. policy “does not impede” humanitarian assistance to Yemenis.

Yemen is located in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula and borders Saudi Arabia and Oman. He remains mired in an intractable civil war. Starting in 2014, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Aiming to restore the government, the Saudis led an Arab coalition to overthrow the Houthis. The intervention received logistical and intelligence support from the West, including the United States.

After nearly a decade of conflict, Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than two-thirds of the population in urgent need of assistance Says the UN refugee agency.

The Biden administration’s listing will take effect on February 16.

Blinken announced that “the United States will reassess this designation if the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.”

While Washington has stressed that this is about defending international trade and has nothing to do with the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Houthis vowed to continue their attacks, which they said was “in solidarity with the wronged Palestinian People” happens.

According to the Houthi, the American retaliatory strikes were directed against “radar systems, air defense systems as well as storage and launch sites for one-way attacks by unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.” a statement from US Central Command.

“We believe we have had a good effect with these attacks in disrupting and degrading their ability to conduct offensive military operations,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council told reporters on Tuesday.

Until the designation is official, the United States will work with humanitarian groups based in Yemen to ensure that the Yemeni people are not impacted.

The Ministry of Finance will also publish licenses authorizing certain transactions related to the supply of food, medicine and fuel to the Yemeni population.

This is a developing story.