Yemen's Huthi rebels accused Washington on Thursday of designating them a terrorist group for supporting the Palestinian people, their stated motive for months of attacks on Israel and in the Red Sea.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday re-designated Yemen's Houthi rebel group as a "foreign terrorist organisation", said the White House in a statement. The move will imply stricter economic penalties than the Biden administration had enforced on the Iran-backed group in response to its attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea and against US warships defending the critical maritime chokepoint.

WASHINGTON, Jan 23: U.S. President Donald Trump re-designated Yemen's Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, as a "foreign terrorist organization" on Wednesday, according to the White House.