White House set to designate Houthi rebels as global terrorists, official says

The Biden administration is expected to soon announce plans to designate Yemen’s Houthi rebel group as a global terrorist organization, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News Tuesday. This comes amid the group’s ongoing attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

In the final days of the Trump administration, the State Department designated the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization. That designation came as the Houthis, who control large portions of Yemen, were engaged in a years-long civil war with the internationally-recognized, Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

However, in February 2021, the State Department, now under the Biden administration, quickly revoked that foreign terrorist designation, arguing that it would make it difficult for much-needed humanitarian aid to reach the Houthis.

A State Department official told CBS News at the time that the move was “due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

“This decision has nothing to do with our view of the Houthis and their reprehensible conduct, including attacks against civilians and the kidnapping of American citizens,” the official added.

The global terrorization classification is distinct from the foreign terrorist designation in that it carries different implications for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,200 people and sparking the Israel-Hamas war, Houthi rebels have launched dozens of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, prompting the White House to shift its stance on the group’s designation. 

When asked by reporters on Jan. 12 whether the Houthis were a terrorist group, President Biden responded, “I think they are.”

Mr. Biden’s comments came on the same day that U.S. and U.K. forces launched their first round of airstrikes on dozens of Houthi sites in Yemen. Those strikes have not deterred the Houthis, who have continued their attacks. On Monday, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at a U.S.-owned and operated container ship. There were no serious injuries or damage.

The attacks have forced some ocean carriers to avoid the Red Sea entirely, leading to worldwide shipping disruptions.

The White House has repeatedly accused Iran of being involved in the Houthi’s Red Sea attacks, allegations Tehran has denied.

However, the Pentagon on Tuesday reported that, over the weekend, it seized a boatload of “advanced conventional weapons” sent from Iran to the Houthis.

U.S. Central Command’s Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla called it evidence that “Iran continues shipment of advanced lethal aid to the Houthis.”

— Olivia Gazis, Haley Ott and Tucker Reals contributed to this report.