The Houthis, an Iranian-sponsored terrorist group operating in Yemen, say support for Palestinians led the United States to designate them as terrorists. On January 22, 2025, US President Donald Trump set the wheels in motion to renew the listing of these rebels as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The administration of former US President Joe Biden had previously suspended the FTO listing in January 2021, choosing to sanction Houthis as “special designated global terrorists” in 2024 as a result of Houthi aggression across the Red Sea.

Media outlets immediately reported on Houthi and Iranian condemnation of the FTO listing as a pretext to punish the Yemeni people for their support of Palestinians against Israel. This myopic reporting only serves to magnify pro-Houthi propaganda over the daily crimes committed against Yemenis.

Pro-Houthi propaganda deals terrible damage

The global audience is once again blinded by biased representations of Houthi rebels and the soundbite amplification of pro-Houthi propaganda. These fighters are again welcomed as representatives of all Yemenis, a population of over 30 million. Yet two-thirds of this population are held at gunpoint by the group. Since September 2014, over eight million Yemeni people have been held hostage under threat of Houthi drone or missile strikes.

The imminent relisting of Houthi rebels as FTO is based on the decade of crimes committed against ordinary Yemenis, indiscriminate targeting of civilians across the neighboring countries. The latest attacks have targeted civilian commercial vessels — these have impacted the global economy and threaten an environmental catastrophe, as they single out oil tankers along the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Amplifying pro-Houthi propaganda benefits neither Palestinians nor Yeminis. On the contrary, Houthis cause greater suffering as they retaliate against their Yemeni opponents. Regional governments are forced to defend against the group’s indiscriminate strikes. Iranian sponsorship has played a vital role in empowering Houthis with weapons, financial support and propaganda, which have strengthened the rebels’ heavy-handed oppression across Yemen. Without this support, Houthis would have resorted to peace talks with rival factions for survival.

Houthi crime in Yemen

Iran’s drones, missiles and expertise have ensured Houthi power for years, and can be credited to the group’s biggest successes. Houthis targeted Yemenis across liberated provinces, which was vital to their 2015 march into Aden, a port city in Yemen. They launched missile strikes on Aden Airport in December 2020, targeting ministers of the internationally recognized government (IRG). They’ve been striking against the oil infrastructure in Hadhramaut and Shabwa provinces since October 2022, which has exacerbated a debilitating economic crisis across southern Yemen.

Houthis hold thousands of political prisoners arbitrarily detained and sentenced by kangaroo courts in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. Since June 2024, the rebel group has launched a criminal campaign against all Yemenis working for UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and those affiliated with Western embassies. They’ve blatantly accused all, including spouses, of working as spies.

Accusations often come as a product of the Houthi Stasi-style system created to spy on UN and NGO activities across their controlled territories. Acting like the secret police of communist East Germany, loyalists among their staff and security personnel report on activities, policies and communications of Yemeni and foreign staff.

The latest tactic by Houthis, a desperate move to force favorable terms amid a failed campaign in support of Gaza and a new round of US sanctions, leaves over 20 million Yemenis hostage to their propaganda.

“At least 19.5 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance and protection this year — 1.3 million more than in 2024,” said Joyce Msuya, interim chief of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Approximately 17 million people — almost half of Yemen’s population — cannot meet their basic food needs. This is a direct consequence of Houthi crimes, which have obstructed the delivery of humanitarian aid and arbitrarily detained aid workers. UN aid relief requests have fallen short by over 75% since 2022; international donors protest Houthi capture of financial and food aid UN agencies and NGOs sent across rebel-held territory.

Houthis have proven time and time again that peace is not in their interest. As part of the Houthi propaganda, the enemy is all around, and the oppressive security apparatus is needed to deter or incarcerate en masse. According to Houthi rhetoric, the enemy is responsible for the lack of governance. Campaigns in support of Palestinians are mere smokescreens to divert attention from their crimes against their own people.

[Lee Thompson-Kolar edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.