Biden calls Houthis a terror group, as administration weighs reapplying designation
US president warns Iran-backed rebels in Yemen of further strikes ‘if they continue this outrageous behavior,’ following American-led bombardment in response to attacks in Red Sea

US President Joe Biden on Friday said he thinks the Houthi rebels in Yemen are a terror group, in what could mark a shift in the administration’s approach to the Iran-backed fighters who have been disrupting Red Sea shipping routes for weeks.
While at a Pennsylvania bookstore, Biden was asked by the traveling press pool whether he thinks the Houthis are a terrorist organization. “I think they are,” he said.
During his first year in office, Biden removed the Houthis’ terror listing, undoing a move by his predecessor Donald Trump amid pressure from progressives who argued that it was harming efforts to deliver humanitarian aid in Yemen. The administration said it decided to review that decision in November against the backdrop of repeated attacks by Houthis on international vessels in the Red Sea.
No update has been offered since then, but Biden’s response indicated the administration may be leaning toward slapping the terror label back on the Houthis. His comments came hours after the US-led airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen for the first time in years.
With a smoothie in hand from a nearby cafe, Biden was asked whether he has a message to Iran.
“I’ve already delivered the message to Iran. They know not to do anything,” he said.
Asked whether he was willing to continue bombing the Houthis if the attacks don’t stop, Biden responded, “We will make sure we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior.”
Reporter: “The bombing of the Houthis — if the attacks don't stop, will you continue with the strikes?”
President Biden: “We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis as they continue this outrageous behavior, along with our allies.” pic.twitter.com/xJoXA6fcdL
— The Recount (@therecount) January 12, 2024
Biden also pushed back against some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorization before carrying out the strikes.
“They’re wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened,” Biden said.
His remarks came as the US Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours. The warning, in a notice to shippers, followed Houthi vows of fierce retaliation for the strikes, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
US military and White House officials said they expected the Houthis to try to strike back.
The US-led bombardment — launched in response to a recent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea — killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. The US said the strikes, in two waves, took aim at targets in 28 different locations across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The Pentagon said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the military action from the hospital where he is recovering from complications following prostate cancer surgery.
According to Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Staff, the new US strikes were largely in low-populated areas, and the number of those killed would not be high. He said the strikes hit weapons, radar and targeting sites, including in remote mountain areas.
Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade and energy shipments.
The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said in a recorded address that the US strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”

It remained unclear how extensive the damage was from Friday’s strikes, though the Houthis said at least five sites, including airfields, had been attacked. The White House said the US military was still assessing the extent the militants’ capabilities might have been degraded.
The Red Sea route is a crucial waterway, and attacks there have caused severe disruptions to global trade. Benchmark Brent crude oil traded up some 4% Friday at over $80 a barrel. Tesla, meanwhile, said it would temporarily halt most production at its German factory because of attacks in the Red Sea.