Houthis say US designating them as 'global terrorists' won’t hinder support for Palestine

By Aziz al-Ahmadi

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – Yemen’s Houthi group said Wednesday that a US decision to redesignate the group as “global terrorists” will not deter them from supporting Palestine.

“The US decision will not have an impact on the ground,” Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdel-Salam told Qatar-based Al Jazeera television.

“The American designation will not deter us from supporting Palestine and the Palestinian people,” he said. “The US decision will only increase our adherence to our position in support of the Palestinians."

Wednesday’s decision reverses an earlier US decision in 2021 to remove the Houthis from the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist List (SDGT).

Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected to have links with Israel.

Houthis say their attacks aim to pressure Tel Aviv to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 24,448 people since the Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by Hamas.

The US and UK launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in recent days in retaliation for the attacks, which have created fears of a new bout of inflation and supply chain disruption.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.