State Dept. revokes terrorist designation on Yemen’s Houthi movement

On Friday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will remove the designation of the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity, effective February 16, the State Department announced.

The move reverses the Trump administration policy of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who designated the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen (better known as the Houthis) as a foreign terrorist organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity before leaving office just under a month ago.