US President Joe Biden has said he is considering re-designating Houthi rebels as terrorists.
According to the Associated Press, President Biden made the remarks during a press conference at the White House on Wednesday after the Houthis carried out a drone strike on the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
The attack reinforced the months-old demand of the Emirati and Saudi governments that the United States declare the Houthis a terrorist organization.On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed solidarity for the security of the UAE in talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi.
The Houthi militia, which controls much of Yemen, has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed three people.
According to the UAE, drones and missiles were used in the attack and oil depots and the international airport were set on fire.
President Joe Biden has removed the Houthis from the list of global terrorists since taking office, while his government has failed to start peace talks and end the eight-year-long war in Yemen.
Aid agencies have complained that declaring the organization a terrorist organization would limit contact between US agencies and complicate humanitarian work in Yemen.
The UAE is also a member of the Allies, which intervened to end the civil war in Yemen that began in 2015. A year earlier, in 2014, the Houthis seized the country's capital, Sanaa, and forcibly removed the president-elect.
During the Yemeni war, the Houthis carried out drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and targeted oil installations in the Gulf. On Monday, for the first time, the United Arab Emirates admitted to being the target of Houthi attacks.
In response to the attack, coalition forces launched airstrikes on Houthis across the country, including the capital, on Monday night, killing at least 14 people. They include a senior Houthi leader.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says five civilians were among those killed.
