The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) hailed the US State Department’s designation of the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization as a necessary, stressing that it is a “long-anticipated step to curtail and cut off the deleterious arms of the Iranian regime in the region.”
In a press release issued on Monday, the SOC stressed that the Houthi terrorist group has a long track record of crimes against the Yemeni people, from destroying the fruits of Yemen’s peaceful revolution, its continued manipulation of the political process, serving the Iranian expansionist agenda, its repeated attacks on cities and commercial facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its constant threat to security, navigation and commercial activity in the region.
The US State Department stated that three of the Houthi militia group’s leaders, including Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, will be added on the terror list. The US Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on the head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, which are backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The SOC reaffirmed that all militias, groups, organizations, leaders and personalities associated with the Houthi militia must be designated as terrorists. Their sources of funding must also be cut off; international pressure be stepped up in accordance with joint and effective mechanisms; and their attempts to circumvent sanctions are prevented.
“The situation in Yemen, Syria, and the region in general requires taking a common international position based on UN resolutions and international law. Steps must also be taken in order to rein in the Iranian regime, stop its crimes, and put an end to its subversive role in the region, especially in Syria and Yemen in parallel with imposing a political solution and restoring stability in all areas that are affected by Iranian interventions.” (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
