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Yemen: US considers reconsidering Houthis as terrorists

After intensifying attacks in the Red Sea, Washington is considering reclassifying the Houthis as a terrorist organization

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the US, along with partners and allies, are working to protect commercial shipping and counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

He then added that Washington is considering the possibility of reclassifying the Houthis as a terrorist organization.

Kirby told reporters: “The Houthi attacks must stop and are unacceptable. The United States, along with partners and allies, is working to address these attacks and protect ships. Many countries are ready to participate and work is underway. We are studying a reclassification of the Houthis as a terrorist organization, but the decision has not yet been taken.”

The spokesperson of the US National Security Council also confirmed that the Houthis “are focusing more on attacks on commercial ships… We have not yet seen any attacks on naval vessels… When military leaders see the movement of missiles and drones they take over appropriate measures to eliminate any potential danger”.

The United States, the European Union, NATO and several countries, including Yemen, issued a joint statement condemning the Houthis’ “interference with the rights and freedoms of navigation” in light of the attacks in the Red Sea.

The statement said the signatories call on all countries to refrain from facilitating or encouraging the Houthis. There is no justification for these attacks which affect many countries beyond the flags under which these ships sail.

For his part, the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, underlined that the new naval coalition will organize joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

A subsequent statement from Yemen’s Houthi group said that the international coalition announced by the United States under the pretext of protecting maritime navigation in the Red Sea is “an integral part of the aggression against the Palestinian people.”

The Houthi group stressed that “the Yemeni people stand firm in their principled position in support of the Palestinian people until the aggression ceases and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted.”

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