Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Friday that he is removing Yemeni Houthi rebels from the US list of foreign terrorist organizations next week, despite a recent attack on Saudi Arabia.
The Iran-aligned rebel group hit a Saudi airport with a drone in retaliation for the country’s involvement in the six-year civil war in Yemen, which resulted in the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.
Saudi Arabia supported the Yemeni government in 2015, propagating a proxy war between the Arab nation and Iran.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO REMOVE TERRORIST DESIGNATION FOR THE MILITIA OF YEMEN HOUTHI
Blinken’s decision is a reversal of an 11-hour order from Donald Trump, promulgated the day before he stepped down on January 19 in an attempt to cut off any support or arms financing for the Iran-backed group – but that organizations aid workers said they could worsen the crisis in Yemen.
“This decision is an acknowledgment of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen,” said Blinken on Friday. “We heard warnings from the United Nations, humanitarian groups and bipartisan members of Congress, among others, that the designations could have a devastating impact on Yemenis’ access to basic products like food and fuel.”
But the senior State Department official condemned the recent Houthi attacks on civilians in Saudi Arabia and said that Houthi leaders Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim will remain under the US and United Nations sanction restrictions.
Blinken said that US security officials are “perceptive” about Houthi’s aggressive actions, which include “forcibly taking control of large areas of Yemen and attacking US partners in the Gulf. [and] kidnapping and torture of citizens of the United States “, along with other evil activities, such as the diversion of humanitarian aid.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the US decision to revoke the terrorist designation, calling it “a gift for the Iranians”, and said it “will allow Houthis to continue to fuel terror around the world” .
THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS STAY PUSHED IN YEMEN AMONG GROWING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
But while Blinken promises to continue to support US allies in the Gulf, Biden said he would end all military aid to Saudi Arabia.
“This war must end and, to underscore our commitment, we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including the sale of relevant weapons,” said Biden in a State Department speech in early February.
The United Nations estimates that about 24 million people – 80% of Yemen’s population – need humanitarian aid.
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Blinken said the United States recognizes that the Houthi aggression continues to “prolong this conflict and generate serious humanitarian costs”. But they added that the United States and the United Nations “have a strong belief that there is no military solution to this conflict”.