Arab League seeks terror tag for Houthis

The Arab League on Sunday said Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels should be labelled as a “terrorist” group after they attacked the UAE. In a statement following an extraordinary meeting, the pan-Arab bloc 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.

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.

It was the first deadly assault acknowledged by the UAE inside its borders and claimed by the Yemeni insurgents during a seven-year Saudi-led coalition campaign against the rebels.

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 Hputhis as a terrorist movement but the administration of President Joe Biden removed the group in response to fears from aid groups responding to what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Biden’s administration has, however, sanctioned individual Huthi figures.