Aid agencies operating in Yemen were caught off guard by President Joe Biden’s recent comment that he is considering redesignating the Houthi movement as a terrorist organization, an action that relief workers say would compound the already dire humanitarian crisis in the Arab world’s poorest country.
The United Arab Emirates has urged the United States to classify the Iran-backed group as a foreign terrorist organization following the Houthis' deadly drone and missile attack on Abu Dhabi earlier this week. The Emirati ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al-Otaiba, recommended the Houthis’ blacklisting during a meeting with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday.