Critics argue the FTO designation could exacerbate an already dire situation where millions of civilians rely on aid.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said it was implementing the designation of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement as a "foreign terrorist organization" after President Donald Trump's call for the move earlier this year.

The formal decision to label the Yemeni militant group reverses President Joe Biden’s delisting in 2021, after more than a year of attacks on U.S. Navy and commercial vessels.