The U.S. Department of Treasury has imposed sanctions on two leaders of the Yemeni group "Ansar Allah" (Houthis) for allegedly prolonging the war and deepening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
According to a statement published today on its website, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Mansour Al-Saadi and Ahmed Ali Ahmad Al-Hamzi, who are responsible for orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces targeting Yemeni civilians, neighboring countries, and commercial vessels in international waters. The statement quoted Andrea Gacki, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, saying, "The forces led by these individuals are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and the United States remains committed to holding Houthi leadership accountable for actions that have contributed to the extraordinary suffering of the Yemeni people."
The ministry clarified that these actions were taken to counter the destabilizing agenda of the Iranian regime, which has fueled the Yemeni conflict, displaced over a million people, and brought Yemen to the brink of famine. The ministry revealed that Mansour Al-Saadi, serving as Chief of Staff for the Houthi naval forces, is the mastermind behind deadly attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea, having received extensive training in Iran and assisted in smuggling Iranian weapons into Yemen.
The ministry also stated that Ahmed Ali Ahmad Al-Hamzi, leader of the Yemeni Air Force and the Yemeni air defense forces allied with the Houthis, along with the drone program, has obtained Iranian-made weapons for use in the Yemeni civil war and received training in Iran. The U.S. Treasury Department noted that Houthi naval forces have repeatedly laid naval mines that target vessels regardless of their civilian or military nature, and Houthi military forces, led by Major General Ahmed Ali Al-Hamzi, have conducted targeted strikes using drones.
