عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

US Reviewing Possible ‘Terrorist’ Designations for Houthis

US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby participates in a news conference during which he spoke on the conflict in Israel and Gaza and funding for Ukraine, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 November 2023. (EPA)
US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby participates in a news conference during which he spoke on the conflict in Israel and Gaza and funding for Ukraine, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 November 2023. (EPA)
TT
TT

US Reviewing Possible ‘Terrorist’ Designations for Houthis

US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby participates in a news conference during which he spoke on the conflict in Israel and Gaza and funding for Ukraine, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 November 2023. (EPA)
US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby participates in a news conference during which he spoke on the conflict in Israel and Gaza and funding for Ukraine, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 November 2023. (EPA)

The United States is reviewing "potential terrorist designations" for Yemen's Houthi militias in response to its seizure of a cargo ship, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.

Kirby's comment was significant because one of the Biden administration's first acts after taking office in January 2021 was revoking terrorist designations of the Houthis over fears the sanctions they carried could worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who have been sending drones and long-range missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas, seized the Galaxy Leader cargo ship on Sunday in the southern Red Sea, describing it as Israeli-owned.

Kirby called the Houthis' seizure of the vessel a "flagrant violation of international law" in which "Iran is complicit."

"In light of this, we have begun a review of potential terrorist designations and we will be considering other options as well with our allies and partners as well," Kirby said at a White House press briefing. He called for the immediate release of the ship and its international crew.

The Bahamas-flagged car carrier is chartered by Japan's Nippon Yusen. It is owned by a firm registered under Isle of Man-headquartered Ray Car Carriers, which is a unit of Tel Aviv-incorporated Ray Shipping, according to LSEG data.

Iran has denied involvement in the seizure of the ship, which the car carrier's owner on Monday said was taken to the Houthi-controlled southern Yemen port of Hodeidah.

Yemen erupted in war after the Houthis staged a coup against the legitimate government and seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Although a UN-brokered ceasefire collapsed due to Houthi intransigence in October 2022, Yemen has enjoyed relative calm.

The country remains the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with some 21.6 million people - about two-thirds of the population - dependent on aid, according to the United Nations.

The Trump administration blacklisted the Houthis a day before its term ended, prompting the United Nations, aid groups and some US lawmakers to express fears that sanctions would disrupt flows of food, fuel and other commodities into Yemen.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Feb. 12, 2021, revoked the designations in "recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen."

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Egypt’s Sisi to Meet Trump on the Sidelines of Davos, Presidency Says

US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meet ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meet ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Egypt’s Sisi to Meet Trump on the Sidelines of Davos, Presidency Says

US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meet ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meet ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)

Egypt's President Abdel ​Fattah al-Sisi will meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Egypt's presidency said on Tuesday.

This ‌will be ‌the first ‌meeting ⁠between ​the ‌two leaders since the US announced it was launching the second phase of its plan to end the war in Gaza.

Sisi and ⁠Trump met in the ‌Red Sea resort ‍of Sharm ‍el-Sheikh in October during a ‍summit convened by Egypt to sign a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the ​war.

On Friday, Trump said that he was also ⁠ready to restart US mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve the dispute over an Ethiopian dam, which both Egypt and Sudan consider a serious threat to vital water supplies.

Arab World

Palestinian Infant Dies Due to Severe Cold in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians in a temporary camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip (EPA)
Displaced Palestinians in a temporary camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip (EPA)
TT
TT

Palestinian Infant Dies Due to Severe Cold in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians in a temporary camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip (EPA)
Displaced Palestinians in a temporary camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip (EPA)

A Palestinian infant died Tuesday morning due to extreme cold in the Gaza City.

The Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) quoted medical sources as saying that "the 7-month-old infant, Shatha Abu Jarad, died in Gaza due to severe cold."

According to the agency, "the number of children who have died in the Gaza Strip due to the extreme cold since the beginning of winter has risen to nine, amid a shortage of aid and a lack of heating".

The Civil Defense in Gaza warned on Monday of the possibility of increased deaths among children due to an unprecedented drop in temperatures.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Gaza, said in a statement: "The sharp drop in temperatures we are witnessing tonight is unprecedented since the beginning of winter. The cold is so severe that we no longer feel our feet, so how about infants, patients, and families living in dilapidated tents?"

Displaced people in Gaza are facing a very difficult situation due to a stormy weather accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain, coinciding with temperatures dropping to freezing levels.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned last week that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains dire, as severe weather conditions threaten progress in the field of humanitarian response, noting that more than one million people are in dire need of shelter as rainstorms continue.

Arab World

PKK Says Will 'Not Abandon' Syrian Kurds

Kurdish children and their families fleeing a government advance through Kurdish-controlled areas arrive in the Kurdish Syrian city of Qamishli on January 19, 2026. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
Kurdish children and their families fleeing a government advance through Kurdish-controlled areas arrive in the Kurdish Syrian city of Qamishli on January 19, 2026. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
TT
TT

PKK Says Will 'Not Abandon' Syrian Kurds

Kurdish children and their families fleeing a government advance through Kurdish-controlled areas arrive in the Kurdish Syrian city of Qamishli on January 19, 2026. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
Kurdish children and their families fleeing a government advance through Kurdish-controlled areas arrive in the Kurdish Syrian city of Qamishli on January 19, 2026. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

Outlawed Kurdish militants in Türkiye will "never abandon" Kurds in Syria following an offensive by Damascus, a leader of the PKK armed group said, quoted by the Firat news agency Tuesday.

Syrian forces began an offensive nearly two weeks ago which pushed Kurdish-led SDF forces out of the northern city of Aleppo, and expanded over the weekend to push deep into territory that has been held by Kurdish forces for over a decade.

"You should know that we will not leave you alone. Whatever the cost, we will never leave you alone.. we as the entire Kurdish people and as the movement, will do whatever is necessary," Murat Karayilan of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was quoted as saying by Firat.

A close ally of Syria's new leadership that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the Turkish government is simultaneously leading a drive to reach a settlement with the PKK -- listed as a terror group by Türkiye and its Western allies.

Karayilan said the Damascus-led offensive was an "attempt to nullify" the peace process in Türkiye.

"This decision by international powers to enable these attacks, will be a black mark for the US, the UK, Germany, France and other international coalition states," he said.

On Monday, at least 500 people rallied in Türkiye’s Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir against the Syrian offensive. Clashes erupted when police tried to break up the protest.

The pro-Kurdish DEM party, the third largest force in the Turkish parliament, called for a rally on Tuesday in the town of Nusaybin, located on the border with Syria.