The United States on Wednesday sanctioned seven Houthi leaders and an individual who sent Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine, a day after reimposing a terrorist designation against the Yemeni militia.

“These individuals have smuggled military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and also negotiated Houthi weapons procurements from Russia,” the US Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the sanctions.

Treasury also designated Abdulwali Abdoh Hasan Al-Jabri and his company Al-Jabri General Trading and Investment Co for recruiting Yemenis to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Russia and raised money to support Houthi military operations, it said.

“The US government is committed to holding the Houthis accountable for acquiring weapons and weapons components from suppliers in Russia, China, and Iran to threaten Red Sea security,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

“We will use all available tools to counter Houthi violence and work with the internationally recognized government of Yemen to eliminate Houthi capabilities,” she said.

The Houthis control much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and have launched missile and drone attacks at Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.

They have also repeatedly targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden – waterways vital to global trade.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late January to return the Houthis to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO), where he placed them during his first term.

The redesignation means that anyone who engages or works with the Houthis, whose territory is home to most of Yemen’s population, will risk being prosecuted by the United States.

Former President Joe Biden removed the Houthis from the list after humanitarian groups protested that they could not get aid to Yemen’s needy without dealing with the militia.

Already the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country before the war broke out a decade ago, Yemen is now suffering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with about two-thirds of its 34 million people in need of aid.

With agencies