President Al-Alimi: White House designation of Houthis as terrorist group is long-awaited 'historic decision'

Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi on Thursday praised the White House decision to reclassify the Houthi militia as a "foreign terrorist group," describing the decision as "historic" and a long-awaited step to punish the Houthis and bring justice to Yemenis.

Al-Alimi said in a series of tweets on the X platform, “The Yemenis have waited a long time, especially those who lost their lives, were tortured, were unjustly arrested, had their homes bombed, and were displaced to the ends of the earth, for justice and punishment of the Houthi criminality by the decision to classify them as terrorists, as an entry point to establishing peace and stability in Yemen and the region.”

The Yemenis have waited a long time, especially those who lost their lives, were tortured, were unjustly arrested, had their homes bombed, and were displaced to the ends of the earth, for justice and punishment of the Houthi criminality by the decision to classify them as terrorists, as an entry point to establishing peace and stability in Yemen and the region.

— Dr. Rashad Muhammad Al-Alimi (@PresidentRashad) January 23, 2025

The Yemeni president thanked his American counterpart for this decision, which he described as "historic", and welcomed his pledges to end wars and deter terrorist organizations, stressing the government's commitment to cooperate with the American administration and the international community to implement the classification decision and provide the necessary guarantees for the flow of humanitarian aid without any obstacles.

Al-Alimi stressed that to strengthen this path towards the desired peace, "there is an urgent need for a global collective approach to support the Yemeni government, and not to procrastinate in implementing international legitimacy resolutions, especially Resolution 2216, because leniency with the enemies of peace means the continuation of the terrorist acts of these ugliest militias in history."

Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump redesignated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization for their attacks on maritime navigation, threatening US interests, and threatening regional security and stability.

Republican Senator Joe Wilson subsequently pledged to work with the internationally recognized Yemeni government to defeat the Iranian-backed Houthi militia.