Biden admin criticized for emboldening Iran-backed Houthis as Trump ramps up military strikes
Former President Biden’s alleged appeasement of the Houthis, an Iran-backed terrorist organization, is facing renewed criticism for allowing them to disrupt global commerce and destabilize the Middle East, according to Saudi and American experts.
In a speech at the State Department less than a month into his presidency, Biden announced in February 2021 that his administration was ending all U.S. offensive support for the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, as he pledged support for the United Nations-led "initiative to impose a ceasefire," and restore peace talks in Yemen.
A week later the Biden administration removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist groups in what then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken described as "a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen."
Salman Al-Ansari, a prominent geopolitical analyst from Saudi Arabia, told Fox News Digital that "Biden’s early appeasement of the Houthis, lifting them from the terror list with nothing in return, emboldened their aggression. The Houthis, an Iranian proxy, have dragged Yemen into chaos, destabilized the region, and attacked global shipping. Trump’s response is a necessary correction to Biden’s missteps, sending a clear message that piracy and terror won’t go unchecked."
US MILITARY SHOOTS DOWN HOUTHI DRONES AS TRUMP’S STRIKES AGAINST TERRORIST GROUP CONTINUE
When asked about Trump’s military strikes on the Yemen-based Houthis, Al-Ansari said, "The strikes are long overdue. The Houthis have disrupted global trade, attacked U.S. forces and fueled instability. That said, it’s unclear how far the U.S. is willing to go in its campaign against them. The Red Sea and the Strait of Mandab are among the most strategic trade routes in the world, carrying over 20% of oil shipments and 13% of global trade."
He continued, "Any failure to secure them risks severe economic and security consequences. While Saudi Arabia remains committed to a political solution, that can't happen without serious pressure on both the Houthis and their backer, Iran. Strength, not appeasement, is the only language they understand."
The official slogan of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) reads, "Allah is Greater. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam." One of Biden’s first foreign policy moves was to de-list the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. The first Trump administration sanctioned the Houthis.
The Biden administration also pressed the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia to pull the plug on its aerial military campaign to stop Houthi terrorism targeting the oil-rich nation and Houthi piracy on the high seas.
Al-Ansari noted that "Saudi Arabia did its best to convince the U.S. of the Houthis' threat, but the Biden administration failed Riyadh completely. The good news is that Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s legitimate government have already done the heavy lifting, liberating around 80% of Yemeni territory. If the U.S. wants to take on the remaining 20%, they’ll have to do it on their own. Riyadh has different regional calculations now, prioritizing diplomacy over military escalation."
Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that "Biden made the Houthis a partisan issue when he de-listed the Houthis. This has prompted Trump to target the Houthis more aggressively. And it doesn’t hurt that weakening the Houthis will signal to the Saudis that America is back as an ally of Saudi Arabia after four years of ambivalence by the Biden White House."
"These U.S. strikes have multiple benefits for the U.S.," Schanzer added. "It’s a sign to the Saudis that we are committed to their regional security. It’s a sign to Europe that we are committed to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, which will reduce shipping costs for their companies. And perhaps most importantly, we are watching the dismantling of Iran’s ‘ring of fire’ strategy in real time. The regime is growing weaker by the day, raising questions about a possible endgame to finally take out the Iranian nuclear program or even bring down the regime."
The Iranian regime-backed Houthis have also launched military strikes at U.S. ally Israel in response to the Jewish state’s war against the Hamas terrorist movement in Gaza.
President Biden first authorized strikes against the Houthis in January 2024 in response to the group's ongoing attacks on vessels traveling through the Red Sea. Biden said he authorized the strikes "in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history."
A week after the first strikes, the Biden administration changed policy again and put the Houthis on its list of specially designated global terrorists as it looked for a way to halt the terror group's attacks on U.S. and world shipping.
Fox News Digital reached out to President Biden’s spokesperson for comment on criticism over his administration's policies towards the Houthis.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.