Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council President Rashad Al-Alimi called on Sunday for the US and the international community to increase pressure on the Houthi group, designating it as a “terrorist organization,” cutting off its arming and funding sources.
The call came during a meeting between President Al-Alimi and the US State Department’s Special Envoy for Counterterrorism in South and Central Asia, Jesse Levinson, and US Ambassador Stephen Fagin.
The meeting discussed “bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and their future prospects, especially in the field of counterterrorism, organized crime, and strengthening the close partnership between the two sides at various levels.”
The meeting also touched on “the terrorist threats fueled by the Houthi militias and the organizations colluding with them, including gross violations of human rights, attacks, and ongoing acts of piracy against merchant ships with the support of the Iranian regime.”
Al-Alimi reviewed “the efforts of government reforms in the security sector, law enforcement agencies, and counterterrorism authorities, money laundering, and organized crime, and the required international support to enhance their capabilities in deterring various threats.”
Al-Alimi praised “the close cooperation between Yemen and the United States of America in the field of counterterrorism, while the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government look forward to doubling international pressure on the Houthi militias, including designating them as a terrorist organization, cutting off their funding and arming sources.”
Since November 19, 2023, the Iranian-backed Houthis have continued their attacks in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean, claiming to target Israeli and Israeli-linked ships or those headed to Israel, in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
In response, the US and UK have announced that these attacks threaten the Red Sea as a vital passage for international trade, and in January 2024, they began conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions.
