According to Sky News Arabia, an official from the U.S. Defense Department informed them that the Houthis in Yemen have prepared plans to target American bases in the Arab region.
مسؤول في وزارة الدفاع الأميركية لـسكاي نيوز عربية: الحوثيون في اليمن أعدّوا خططًا لاستهداف القواعد الأميركية في المنطقة العربية
— سكاي نيوز عربية-عاجل (@SkyNewsArabia_B) January 17, 2024
The Houthis were delisted as a terrorist organization by the Biden Administration in February 2021, only one month after former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put them on the terrorist list.
Reports on Tuesday indicated the Biden administration will re-designate the Houthis as “global terrorists.” “The new SDGT designation, which will come into force in 30 days, will also bar people and companies in the U.S. from offering any support to the Houthis,” the BBC reported.
The record of Houthi military aggression goes back years. In 2014, the group seized a large swath of the northern part of Yemen, including the capital, Sana’a, with the help of Iran, while the government fled. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition to restore the government. On November 10, 2021, the Houthis invaded the U.S. embassy in Sana’a, which had been closed because of the war, and looted it.
In January 2022, the Houthis launched two ballistic missiles at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where 2,000 American troops were located. The troops had to go in bunkers and launched Patriot missiles in response. “The combined efforts successfully prevented both missiles from impacting the base,” Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, stated.
The Houthis now control the majority of Yemen. They have been accused of weaponizing water by placing landmines in and near water infrastructure and facilities in their war against the government. Since November they have been firing drones and missiles as they attacked merchant vessels and commercial tankers traveling through the Red Sea.
The U.S. and U.K. launched airstrikes against Houthi targets last week, which were supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands. U.S. Central Command acknowledged on Tuesday that U.S. forces seized “Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missiles components,” including “propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components” intended for the Houthis. U.S. Central Command said the weapons matched the ones the Houthis have been using in their attacks.