Barran Press
The United States has vowed to impose further sanctions on the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization, in an effort to weaken their capabilities. The White House, in a press briefing, dismissed the group's claims of supporting Gaza residents as "worthless" and labeled their actions as "pure terrorism."
John Kirby, the National Security Council's Coordinator for Strategic Communications, stated that the Treasury Department will announce new sanctions targeting individuals and entities involved in supplying weapons to the Houthis.
"We will continue to target this network to weaken the Houthis' ability to replenish their stockpiles," Kirby said. "We will continue to target threats to international commerce as needed, including through the use of strikes."
He highlighted that even the Yemeni people have fallen victim to the Houthis, citing their attack on a grain ship bound for Yemeni ports. "The Houthis are causing unnecessary suffering across the region, whether it's to the people of Gaza, the Sudanese, or the Yemenis themselves," he added.
Kirby emphasized that the group's attacks impact commerce in neighboring countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, from Egypt and Ethiopia to Jordan and Djibouti.
"The Houthis' claims of supporting the people of Gaza are worthless," he stated. "The Houthis don't care about the Palestinians in Gaza at all. What they're doing is not based on any principles, it's simply terrorism. There are no words to describe what's happening, simply put."
Kirby further stated, "The United States has provided thousands of metric tons of aid to the people of Gaza and will continue to do so. We are the largest contributor to date by a wide margin. Meanwhile, the Houthis haven't even provided a crumb of bread to the Palestinians in Gaza."
Since November 2023, the Houthi group has been launching missile and drone attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, leading to increased maritime insurance costs and prompting many shipping companies to favor the much longer route around the southern tip of Africa.
In December 2023, the United States, Israel's primary ally, formed a multinational coalition to protect maritime navigation from attacks by the designated terrorist group. American forces have been carrying out strikes against Houthi military targets on an intermittent basis.