Arab League seeks ‘terrorist’ designation for Houthis
Brands attack on Abu Dhabi ‘flagrant violation of international law’
Cairo: The Arab League on Sunday said Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels should be labelled as a “terrorist” group after they attacked the United Arab Emirates.
On January 17 the Houthis claimed a drone and missile attack that struck an oil facility and the airport in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, killing three people and wounding six.
The pan-Arab bloc, based in the Egyptian capital, said the Houthis should be designated “as a terrorist organisation” after the attack.
In a statement following an extraordinary meeting, it called the strikes “a flagrant violation of international law... and a real threat to vital civilian installations, energy supplies, and global economic stability,” as well as a threat to regional peace and security.
Former US president Donald Trump designated the Houthis as a terrorist movement but the administration of President Joe Biden removed the group from the list.
Biden’s administration has, however, sanctioned individual Houthi figures.
On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously condemned the Houthi strikes on the UAE, whose UN ambassador denounced “these terrorist attacks.”
The UAE is a non-permanent member of the Council.