Washington lists Houthi spokesman and head of political council as terrorist

The United States of America announced that the decision to classify the Houthi militia in Yemen as an international terrorist organization would come into effect starting Monday evening, and also included leaders of the group on the terrorism lists.

The White House confirmed, in a press statement, that the decision includes adding sanctions against the militia leaders, headed by Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the so-called Political Council, and Mohammed Abdul Salam Fleita, who works as head of the negotiating delegation abroad and a media spokesman for the militia.

According to a statement by the US State Department, the classification aims to curb the influence of the Houthi group and weaken their military capabilities, which the United States said poses a threat to it in the region, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper.

The US State Department said that Mohammed Abdul Salam is considered one of the most prominent Houthi leaders and represents the group's public figure in many political and media meetings.

The US State Department accused Mohammed Abdul Salam of promoting Houthi ideology and coordinating military and media activities.

The US State Department said that the man's designation on the terrorism list reflects the Houthis' continued violation of human rights in Yemen and their threat to regional and international security.

The US State Department statement explained that this classification opens the way for imposing additional sanctions against the individuals included on the list, including asset freezes and travel bans.

On January 22, US President Donald Trump decided to include the Ansar Allah group (the Houthis) on the list of “foreign terrorist organizations.”

The White House stated in a statement the reasons for this decision, referring to the fact that the Houthi activities "threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, as well as our closest regional partners and the stability of global trade."

This decision came only two days after Trump assumed his presidential duties on January 20, beginning his second presidential term.