The US plans to designate Yemen’s rebel Houthi movement as a terrorist group, despite warnings that it may threaten aid operations in the war-torn country.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the aim was to hold the Houthis accountable for cross-border attacks threatening civilians, infrastructure and shipping.
It would also deter “malign activity” by their backer Iran, he added.
Aid organisations have said they may be prevented from operating in areas where millions are on the brink of famine.
A UN spokesman said it was clear the US decision was “likely to have serious humanitarian and political repercussions”, while the president of the International Rescue Committee called it “pure diplomatic vandalism”.
A Houthi leader accused President Donald Trump’s administration of terrorism and said the movement reserved the right to respond to any designation.
Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in 2015, when the Houthis seized control of much of the west of the country and a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states launched a military operation to restore President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s rule.
The coalition has received logistical and intelligence support from the US, UK and France, while Iran has denied allegations that it has supplied the Houthis with missiles, drones, and training.
The fighting has reportedly left more than 110,000 people dead and triggered what the United Nations (UN) says is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 80% of the population in need of aid or protection.
Mr Pompeo announced late on Sunday that the state department would notify Congress of his intention to designate the Houthi movement – known formally as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God) – as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) on 19 January, the day before Mr Trump leave’s office.
Three Houthi leaders – Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abdul Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim – will also be listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
“The designations are intended to hold Ansar Allah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian populations, infrastructure, and commercial shipping,” Mr Pompeo said.
The designations are also intended to advance efforts to achieve a peaceful, sovereign, and united Yemen that is both free from Iranian interference and at peace with its neighbours.”
The secretary of state cited what he called “the callous attack” targeting the airport in the southern city of Aden on 30 December, in which 27 people were killed. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government tied the attack on the Houthis, but they denied any involvement.
America is the source of terrorism, the Trump administration’s policy is terrorist, and its actions are terrorist. It does not matter to the Yemeni people, as it is complicit in killing and starving them,” Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi tweeted in response on Monday.
He added that the rebels “reserve the right to respond to any designation issued by the Trump administration or any administration”.
Yemen’s foreign ministry said it supported the move and called for further “political and legal pressure” on the Houthis, Reuters news agency reported.
