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Canada has added Houthis militant group on its list of terrorist entities, the government said on Monday.
The Iranian-backed group, officially known as Ansarallahhas been operating in Yemen since the early 2000s and has fueled unrest in the Middle East by attacking several merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea for more than a year.
These attacks began in November 2023 to protest Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, which is also supported by Iran.
Canada earlier this year supported British and American strikes against Houthi targets in response to attacks in the Red Sea.
“Today’s addition of Ansarallah as a designated terrorist entity furthers our efforts to fight terrorism around the world and align Canada with our allies,” Public Safety Minister Dominique LeBlanc said in a statement.
“Acts of violent extremism and terrorism have no place in the world, and we will continue to act to limit the spread of these acts internationally and to counter threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests around the world.”
Under Canadian law, this designation allows for criminal penalties against any person or group who knowingly deals with a listed entity. Anyone found to be a member of a listed entity may be denied entry to Canada.
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The order recognizes that the term “Houthi” can also refer to an ethnic group in Yemen, and that the designation applies only to Ansarallah fighters.
Conservatives called on the government to list the Houthis as terrorist entities in October.
The Houthis have also worked closely with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, both of which are also designated as terrorist groups in Canada.
The Houthis have recently targeted Israel directly with missile attacks, while stepping up their strikes in the Red Sea as the Middle East conflict expanded to include Hezbollah and Iran. The group has vowed to continue its attacks until Israel withdraws its military forces from Gaza.
In January of this year, the United States listed Ansarallah as a terrorist group.
The Houthis control much of northern Yemen and have been fighting for control of the country since 2014 with the internationally recognized government of Yemen. The civil war is one of the deadliest in recent history, with more than 150,000 people killed and another 227,000 dying of starvation and other causes. indirect causes, according to United Nations estimates.
— with files from The Canadian Press
© 2024 Global News, Corus Entertainment Inc. department.
