The story: The announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Jan. 10 that the US intends to list the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization continues to spark reactions on traditional as well as new media across Yemen. The blacklisting is due to take effect one day before president-elect Joe Biden takes office.

The coverage: The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency gives prominence to critical reactions to the US decision, not only from key Iranian-backed allies such as Lebanese Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, but also from international bodies, such as the UN. With regard to this, Saba highlights the statement from UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who voiced his concerns over the political impact of a terror listing on peace talks, as well as on the humanitarian impact on Houthi-controlled territories in the north. The US move will make delivering aid to northern Yemen extremely difficult.

A prominent member of the Houthi-controlled Supreme Political Council, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi, described the terror listing on Twitter as an attempt to “divert the world’s attention” from the ongoing debate on “their fragile [US] democracy.” His reference is to the aftermath of the storming of Capitol Hill in Washington by Trump supporters last week. The senior Houthi official went on to share a hashtag that refers to the United States being behind the creation of "terrorism worldwide.”

The rival pro-government Saba news agency, which shares name with the abovementioned Houthi-controlled outlet, highlighted supportive reactions to the US decision, mainly from Gulf Cooperation Council countries, while focusing on human rights violations committed by Houthi rebels to justify the purported ethical grounds of their designation as terrorists.

The context/analysis: The Houthis’ comments on the designation provides an opportunity to reflect on their relations with the US. The news coverage reveals the Houthis’ quest for legitimacy from international bodies, in contrast to the Yemeni government, which already enjoys UN recognition.

Notably, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi has in the past voiced veiled optimism about the Biden administration on Twitter. As recently as November, he seemed to hope the then presidential candidate would condition Washington’s military support for Saudi Arabia on its human rights record in Yemen. This raises the question of whether the Houthis might tone down their anti-US stance under Biden.

However, for the time being, the Houthis’ official line remains averse to Washington. This was most recently demonstrated by how the group and other Iran-backed factions in the region have gloated about the events in Capitol Hill as evidence of the internal instability in the United States.

Indeed, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi has stated that he sees the Muslim Brotherhood, and therefore its Yemeni branch Al-Islah, as the main beneficiary of Biden’s victory. Last November, Al-Houthi highlighted on Twitter the reported “depth of the friendship” between the Brotherhood and US Democrats. Despite its fluctuating relationship with Riyadh, Al-Islah is represented in the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. This should further mitigate expectations about a shift in relations between the Houthis and the US under Biden.

The future: Despite their poor human rights record, the Houthis and affiliated media - which are already focused on the heavy human toll of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen - can be expected to point to the likely additional suffering caused by the US terrorist designation in coming months. Such concerns are probable to continue to be echoed by UN humanitarian agencies. This would add to the already existing international pressure on the incoming Biden administration to reverse the Trump administration’s decision to list the Houthis as a terrorist organization.