WASHINGTON — National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced on Wednesday that the United States has re-designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.

This decision comes in response to the Yemen-based militants' unprecedented attacks against US military forces and international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

These attacks, which have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, global trade, and freedom of navigation, have been widely condemned by the United States and the international community.

The designation of the Houthis as terrorists aims to hinder their access to terrorist funding, restrict their financial market activities, and hold them accountable for their actions.

However, Sullivan noted that if the Houthis cease their attacks, the US will immediately reassess this designation.

The terrorist designation will be effective 30 days from the announcement, allowing time to implement robust humanitarian carve-outs.

These measures are designed to ensure that the action targets the Houthis and not the Yemeni people.

The US emphasizes that commercial shipments into Yemen, crucial for the Yemeni population's access to food, medicine, and fuel, will continue and are not affected by the sanctions.

The move reverses Secretary of State Antony Blinken's 2021 decision to remove the Houthis from the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist List (SDGT).