WASHINGTON - Two -familiar officials of the Times of Israel said that Israel is pressing the Biden administration to classify the Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist group, at the request of the United Arab Emirates.
Iran -backed Houthis were accused in a series of drones and missile attacks on the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which have escalated severely last month.
In the midst of the escalation in the attacks, Abu Dhabi intensified its pressure to classify the Houthis as a terrorist group and Israel recruited this effort.
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An Israeli official said that Israel agreed, and informed Biden officials that the re -imposition of the terrorist classification would limit Iran's "reckless" influence in the region.
He added, “We are not doing that for the Emiratis only.We believe that such a step is in the interest of everyone. ”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the matter.
Former US President Donald Trump has listed the Houthi group to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list for foreign terrorist organizations during his last days in his post.His successor, Joe Biden, reflected the decision nearly a month, as his administration worked to no avail to start peace talks and end the eight years ago in Yemen and claimed the lives of 130,000 people.
But in the wake of the recent Houthi attacks, Biden told reporters in late January that the re -classification of the Houthis as a terrorist organization "is in consideration."
مقاتلون يمنيون موالون للحكومة من لواء العمالقة الذي دربته الإمارات يتقدمون عبر مدينة عتق، شرق ميناء عدن على البحر الأحمر، في طريقهم إلى خط المواجهة في مواجهة مقاتلين حوثيين موالين لإيران، في 28 يناير، 2022. (Saleh Al-Obeidi/AFP)A source familiar with the matter said that the National Security Council expressed its satisfaction with the idea, while others in the administration are still more frequent.
Washington is seeking a balance between curbing the Houthis and confronting the human emergency that is still raging in Yemen, with 16 million people suffering from food insecurity.
Humanitarian organizations argue that their arrival in the areas controlled by the rebel in Yemen will be reduced if the Houthis are inserted into the black list.
The classification supporters indicate that the United States classified Hezbollah and Taliban as two terrorist groups and is still able to ensure aid to civilians in Lebanon and Afghanistan.
Israel itself does not classify the Houthis as a terrorist group, but Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told the "Walla" news site last week that it should consider this classification, describing the group as "Iranian terrorist agent."
In a letter to the leaders of the cabinet last month, Knesset member Tsvika Hauser of the ruling coalition said that the Houthis classification as a terrorist organization is very important for a country like Israel seeking to lead the World War on terrorism.Hezer said that such a step will push other countries to follow their example and will hinder Iranian efforts to destabilize the region.
تظهر هذه الصورة التي نشرتها وكالة الأنباء السعودية الحكومية حطاما على مدرج مطار أبها الإقليمي بعد هجوم شنه المتمردون الحوثيون في اليمن في أبها، المملكة العربية السعودية ، 12 يونيو، 2019. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)United Nations reports on the Houthis indicate their recruitment of children, accusations of rape and torture of women, planting landmines, and threatening the Jewish community in Yemen, which diminished into a small group of individuals, and one of them is believed to be imprisoned by the group.
With the Riyadh leadership of the coalition of fighters that support the besieged Yemeni government, the Houthi rebels used drones and missiles to attack Saudi Arabia and oil targets in the Persian Gulf since the beginning of the civil war in 2015. The Houthi attacks on the Emirates were more rare, especially since Abu Dhabi withdrew its fighting forces from the coalitionIt is led by Saudi Arabia in 2020.
One of the Houthi attacks on the UAE targeted a fuel depot last month, killing three people and wounding six.The American soldiers stationed at the Al Dhafra Air Force Base in Abu Dhabi launched the Patriot missiles in response to this - the first time that the American forces have used the regime to fight since the invasion of the United States to Iraq in 2003. The attacks coincided with the visit of South Korea and Israel's presidents to the country.
Some analysts argued that the strikes are intended to be an implicit threat that Israel could be in the Houthis' goal.
الرئيس الأمريكي جو بايدن، من اليمين، يلتقي برئيس الوزراء نفتالي بينيت في المكتب البيضاوي للبيت الأبيض، في واشنطن، 27 أغسطس، 2021. (Evan Vucci / AP)The extension of the Yemeni war for years to the UAE has put the American forces against the fire of the Houthi attacks - and increases the risk of a regional escalation in a decisive moment of talks in Vienna to resume the nuclear agreement between Iran and global forces.
All parties to the war were widely accused of violations, including the Saudi -led coalition strikes, which killed civilians.The Biden Administration announced early that the United States will reduce its role in support of the coalition and provide Saudi Arabia with defensive weapons only.
Agencies contributed to this report