On January 22, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order redesignating Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The move comes after the Houthis have increasingly targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea and attacked U.S. warships that provide security for critical shipping lanes.
The White House statement emphasized that the Houthis' actions pose a threat to the safety of American citizens and personnel in the Middle East, as well as to the stability of global maritime commerce. The decision to redesignate the Houthis as a terrorist organization includes tougher economic sanctions than those imposed by the Biden administration.
Recall that in February 2021, President Biden removed the Houthis from the list of international terrorists in an effort to ease the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. However, in 2024, in response to a series of Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the Biden administration re-designated Ansar Allah as a terrorist organization.
Trump's decision to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization comes as Israel has called on European countries to designate Ansar Allah as a terrorist organization. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has instructed the country's diplomatic missions in the UK and the EU to initiate the process. This follows recent Houthi attacks on Israel, including the launch of ballistic missiles into the center of the country.