12.14.23

Sullivan, Colleagues Renew Call for Biden Admin to Re-Designate Iranian-Backed Houthis A Terrorist Org Following Attacks in Red Sea

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and several of his colleagues sent a letter this week to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to re-designate Iranian-backed Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), as well as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). The letter comes after the Houthis launched attacks in the Red Sea earlier this month, including on American naval assets. Signatories include Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.). The same group sent a similar letter to Secretary Blinken in May.

“We write once again urging you to re-designate Iran-backed Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), as well as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT),” the Senators wrote. “In the last two months, the Houthis have fired cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones against an array of targets, including toward U.S. naval assets in the region and cities in Israel. On November 19, the Houthis seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea and took twenty-five of its crewmembers hostage. On October 27, the Houthis launched two armed drones that were downed near Egypt, including one that hit a building adjacent to a hospital, injuring six people. On October 19, the Houthis launched a barrage of cruise missiles and armed drones likely headed toward Israel.”

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“The Houthis should not be allowed to continually jeopardize the lives of American service members, our regional partners and allies, and innocent civilians, without our nation calling their actions what they truly are - terrorism.”

Read the full letter below or click here.

Dear Secretary Blinken:

In the wake of the December 3 attacks on three commercial vessels in the Red Sea, we write once again urging you to re-designate Iran-backed Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), as well as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).

Since our May letter, the group has continued to launch provocative attacks against the U.S. and its allies in the region at an alarming pace. In the last two months, the Houthis have fired cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones against an array of targets, including toward U.S. naval assets in the region and cities in Israel. On November 19, the Houthis seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea and took twenty-five of its crewmembers hostage. On October 27, the Houthis launched two armed drones that were downed near Egypt, including one that hit a building adjacent to a hospital, injuring six people. On October 19, the Houthis launched a barrage of cruise missiles and armed drones likely headed toward Israel.

These actions clearly show the Houthis to be a destabilizing force in the region, and their behavior is becoming even more aggressive. Moreover, we fully agree with CENTCOM’s assessment that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are enabled and backed by Iran.

The administration should reconsider its decision to revoke Ansarallah’s FTO and SDGT status and add it back to both lists. There is no doubt that they meet the criteria for designation.

The December 3 attacks illustrate this. The Houthis should not be allowed to continually jeopardize the lives of American service members, our regional partners and allies, and innocent civilians, without our nation calling their actions what they truly are - terrorism.

Sincerely,

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