The strikes coincided with the US officially designating the Houthis as specially designated global terrorists, a move aimed at cutting off financial support…reports Asian Lite News
The US military launched another round of missile strikes on Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, marking the fourth consecutive direct targeting amid ongoing regional unrest stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The strikes coincided with the US officially designating the Houthis as specially designated global terrorists, a move aimed at cutting off financial support to violent extremist groups. US officials disclosed these actions anonymously to discuss details not yet made public.
Following the rebels’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the US started strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Wednesday, prompting Washington to relist the group as “specially designated global terrorists.”
Since November, the organisation with ties to Iran has been carrying out attacks that have hampered marine trade between Asia and Europe, reported Al Jazeera.
The Houthis claim that until Israel’s war on Gaza ends, they will keep hitting targets, including ships that have ties to Israel.
“Today, in response to these continuing threats and attacks, the United States announced the designation of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
“This designation is an important tool to impede terrorist funding to the Houthis, further restrict their access to financial markets, and hold them accountable for their actions. If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the United States will immediately reevaluate this designation,” the statement said.
The designation will take effect 30 days from now, to ensure humanitarian carve-outs are in place.
“We are rolling out unprecedented carve-outs and licenses to help prevent adverse impacts on the Yemeni people. The people of Yemen should not pay the price for the actions of the Houthis. We are sending a clear message: commercial shipments into Yemeni ports on which the Yemeni people rely for food, medicine and fuel should continue and are not covered by our sanctions. This is in addition to the carveouts we include in all sanctions programs for food, medicine, and humanitarian assistance,” the statement added.
“As President Biden has said, the United States will not hesitate to take further actions to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce,” Sullivan said further.
Meanwhile, the United States carried out new strikes against Houthi ballistic missiles in Yemen on Tuesday, according to the US Central Command. The US carried out strikes after Houthi launched an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea.
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