epa11085955 An armed Houthi fighter passes a Yemeni flag fluttering at a shrine of slain Houthi fighters, in Sana'a, Yemen, 17 January 2024. The United States announced the designation of Yemen's Houthis as a global terror group amid an escalation of their attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023. The US Department of Defense had announced in December 2023 a multinational operation to safeguard trade and to protect ships in the Red Sea amid the recent escalation in Houthi attacks. Houthis vowed to keep up attacks on Israeli-bound ships and prevent them from navigating in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation for Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, according to statements by Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Sarea.  EPA/YAHYA ARHAB