U.S., Britain sanction Houthi leaders over Red Sea attacks

U.S., Britain sanction Houthi leaders over Red Sea attacks
by Darryl Coote
Washington DC (UPI) Jan 25, 2024

The United States and Britain announced sanctions Thursday targeting four Houthi leaders, as the ally nations, which have launched joint military attacks against the rebels in Yemen in recent weeks, employ their financial vises to deter the Iran proxy group from its continued attacks of commercial shipping vessels.

It is the first coordinated blacklisting of Houthis by London and Washington, and the first time the Biden administration has hit the group with sanctions since it re-designated it as a terrorist organization on Jan. 17.

"The Houthis' persistent terrorist attacks on merchant vessels and their civilian crews lawfully transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden threaten to disrupt international supply chains and the freedom of navigation, which is critical to global security, stability and prosperity," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement Thursday announcing the sanctions.

"Today's joint action with the United Kingdom demonstrates our collective action to leverage all authorities to stop these attacks."

The Houthis have been attacking merchant vessels transiting the all-important trade route of the Red Sea amid Israel's war against Hamas, another Iran proxy militia, in protest, prompting about 15 shipping companies to reroute their vessels to avoid being targeted.

The United States, with Britain and alone, has conducted nine rounds of attacks in two weeks in Yemen, hitting Houthi resources to degrade its ability to target ships.

On Thursday, the U.S. and British officials sanctioned Muhammad Fadl Abd al-Nabi, commander of the Houthi Naval Forces; Muhammad Ali al-Qadiri, chief of the Houthi Coastal Defence Force; Muhammad Ahmad al-Talibi, assistant minister of Defence for Logistics and Director of the Procurement Department; and Mohamed al-Atifi, the Houthi defense minister.

The sanctions, which subject those listed to asset freezes, arms embargoes and travel bans, seek to disrupt their ability to attack the shipping vessels, officials said.

"These sanctions reinforce our clear message to the Houthis in recent weeks. We can degrade their ability to attack international shipping. We are determined to protect freedom of navigation. We will back our words with actions," Foreign Secretary David Cameron of Britain said in a statement.

"With our allies, we will continue to target those responsible for the Houthis' unacceptable and illegal actions, which risk innocent seafarers' lives and disrupt aid deliveries to the Yemeni people."

The Red Sea is responsible for between 10% and 15% of global trade, and U.S. officials said that Houthis have attacked more than 30 vessels since Nov. 19.

On Wednesday, two U.S.-owned and operated ships came under Houthi attack near Yemen, with the U.S. Central Command stating that it downed two missiles with a third splashing down into the sea. Neither commercial vessel was damaged, the company confirmed to UPI.

Earlier this month, the United States designated the Houthi rebels, also known as Ansarallah, as a terrorist organization.

It had first been given such a label in the final days of the Trump administration, but the designation was revoked by President Joe Biden within a month of taking office.