“Yemen is at a crucial moment,” declared Timothy Lenderking, U.S. special envoy for Yemen in recent Congressional testimony. “Reckless Houthi attacks are jeopardizing the very real accomplishments of multilateral diplomacy over the past three years,” he warned.
“Iran is equipping and facilitating Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Credible public reports suggest a significant number of Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah operatives are supporting Houthi attacks from inside Yemen. I can't imagine the Yemeni people, want these Iranians in their country. This must stop.”
The Houthis have launched more than 45 attacks against oil tankers and other ships carrying hazardous materials. They are making maritime traffic through the Red Sea costly and dangerous, noted Special Envoy Lenderking:
“The Houthis are exacerbating economic and humanitarian conditions in Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and elsewhere. These attacks on commercial vessels are acts of terrorism. The Houthis are not even adhering to their stated goals. They are mostly striking ships with no connection whatsoever to Israel, and driving up the difficulty and cost of delivering humanitarian aid to people around the world, including, of course, to Yemenis themselves.”
“Houthi hypocrisy becomes even clearer as we look at their continued abuse of the human rights of the Yemeni people,” declared Mr. Lenderking:
“Their detention facilities are filling up with political detainees. They are recruiting child soldiers and indoctrinating them in hate. They are blockading the city of Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, and they routinely restrict humanitarian access.”
In response to the Red Sea threat, the United States and its partners are employing a military, economic, and diplomatic strategy to raise the cost of continued attacks and shift the Houthi calculus. The U.S. military has acted decisively to thwart the Houthi military threat. In addition, on February 16 the U.S. designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global terrorist organization.
On January 10th, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2722, which demands a halt to these reckless attacks. Such efforts are one component of a broader diplomatic strategy, said Mr. Lenderking. “We do not seek this confrontation, but we will respond to the attacks,” he assured.
Ultimately, peace in Yemen serves the interests of all Yemenis, just as it does those of the United States and its regional partners.
