The Houthi Leader Isn’t a Designated Terrorist — He Should Be

In the U.S. government’s back-and-forth over designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization, the group’s head, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, fell through the cracks.

Abdulmalik has led the group through more than a decade of conflict in Yemen. Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, the Houthis claim to have conducted 1,835 operations targeting Israel, commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and American and partner naval forces providing security in those areas. Under his direction, the Houthis have killed at least eight mariners, injured more, and taken more than 30 hostages from two vessels, the Galaxy Leader in 2024 and Eternity C in 2025.

As President Donald Trump wrote, “[the Houthis] have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.”

Abdulmalik’s actions earned him a spot on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list in 2021, but he was removed when the Biden administration lifted the designation of the Houthis as a terror group later that year. He should swiftly be returned to it.

Designation Options Available to the U.S. Government

The United States maintains a sanctions program that targets individuals and entities “that threaten Yemen’s peace, security, or stability.” Abdulmalik is already a Specially Designated National (SDN) under this program, and is blocked from transacting with U.S. persons and the American-led financial system.

But Abdulmalik is not currently in the SDGT program, which focuses on terrorists. The SDGT list enables U.S. government intelligence and law enforcement to target these individuals and their supporters under more expansive counterterrorism rules. Furthermore, anyone working with an SDGT is more likely to be targeted under secondary sanctions. Inclusion on the U.S. SDGT list also makes it more likely that other countries will follow suit in naming him a terrorist.

The Houthis as a whole are covered under the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation, which is used in concert with SDGT designations. Anyone providing material support to an FTO faces criminal prosecution. Furthermore, members of an FTO, like Abdulmalik, are prohibited from entering the United States.

The Saga of Listing and Delisting the Houthis and Abdulmalik

Abdulmalik was listed first as an SDN under the Yemen program in 2015 for his role in leading the Houthis’ violent overthrow of the Yemeni government. He was then added to the SDGT list when the Trump administration first listed the Houthis as both an SDGT and FTO in January of 2021, bringing the full weight of these complementary sanctions regimes against the group and its leadership.

Roughly a month later, the Biden administration removed the terrorist labels from the group and its leaders out of concern that these sanctions would hinder humanitarian organizations operating in Houthi-controlled territory.

Ultimately, the Biden administration was forced to reverse course in 2024 due to Houthi terrorism in the Red Sea and return the group to the SDGT list. Still, it chose not to relist the Houthis as an FTO, hoping to limit potential barriers to humanitarian activity in Yemen. When Trump returned to office, he swiftly redesignated the group as an FTO.

Despite the redesignation of the Houthis, Abdulmalik was never returned to the list of terrorists.

Benefits of Additional SDGT Designation

As the Houthis continue to destabilize the Red Sea region, the United States should use all tools to isolate and counter the group, especially targeting leadership. Furthermore, designating Abdulmalik as an SDGT makes it easier to multilateralize sanctions against the Houthis and their leadership. The Houthis are not universally designated as terrorists by America’s allies. Finally, targeting the leadership reminds the Houthis that the United States and its partners will keep a spotlight on the group until they cease their terrorist activities.

Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Bridget and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Bridget on X @BridgetKToomey. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.