From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 16, 2026
US announces fresh sanctions targeting Houthi funding networks
The Trump administration issues fresh sanctions further targeting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and the transfer of oil products, weapons and other so-called dual-use equipment that it says helped fund the group.
The action targets 21 individuals and entities as well as one vessel, including some alleged front companies in Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control says in a statement.
“The Houthis threaten the United States by committing acts of terror and attacking commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says in the statement.
The move builds on previous US Treasury action to pressure the Houthis’ “vast revenue generation and smuggling networks, which enable the group to sustain its capability to conduct destabilizing regional activities,” including the Red Sea attacks, the department adds.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.
Tehran’s regional sway has been weakened by Israel’s attacks on its terror proxies in the region.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.