Schneider, Panetta, Manning, Wasserman Schultz Call on US to Stop Houthi Attacks on Civilians
WASHINGTON— Today, Congressmen Brad Schneider (IL-10), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Kathy Manning (NC-06), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) led a statement calling on the US to stop Houthi attacks on civilians:
"On Tuesday, the United States, with our ally, the United Kingdom, successfully intercepted an unprecedented missile and drone attack launched from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthis. For months, the Houthis have been attacking civilians and targeting Red Sea merchant shipping with a series of escalating provocations in support of Hamas and its war against Israel.
"These attacks must be stopped, and we must strengthen our measures designed to deter the Houthis’ malign activities. Freedom of navigation is a non-negotiable cornerstone of the rules-based international order, especially in the Red Sea, through which roughly 15% of global shipping traffic transits. We are pleased that the Department of Defense established the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian in December under the purview of our combined maritime task forces and that the United Nations Security Council adopted the United States’ resolution condemning the series of attacks, which threaten regional and global economic security and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gazans.
"We are encouraged that the Biden Administration has begun a review of Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations along with other options to restrict the Houthis’ ability to engage malignly with U.S. forces and partner nations following the seizure of Galaxy Leader in a flagrant violation of international law. We believe these recent attacks underscore the importance of this review and likely merit redesignating the Houthis as an FTO. Any redesignation of the Houthis should be implemented in a manner that does not undermine critical humanitarian support for the people of Yemen, the fragile de facto ceasefire, nor UN-led peace talks, all of which contribute to regional stability and the security of the United States and its allies."