Former President Biden’s alleged appeasement of the Houthis, an Iran-backed terrorist organization, is facing renewed criticism for allowing them to disrupt global commerce and destabilize the Middle East, according to Saudi and American experts.

In a speech at the State Department less than a month into his presidency, Biden announced in February 2021 that his administration was ending all U.S. offensive support for the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, as he pledged support for the United Nations-led «initiative to impose a ceasefire,» and restore peace talks in Yemen.

A week later the Biden administration removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist groups in what then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken described as «a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.»

Salman Al-Ansari, a prominent geopolitical analyst from Saudi Arabia, told Fox News Digital that «Biden’s early appeasement of the Houthis, lifting them from the terror list with nothing in return, emboldened their aggression. The Houthis, an Iranian proxy, have dragged Yemen into chaos, destabilized the region, and attacked global shipping. Trump’s response is a necessary correction to Biden’s missteps, sending a clear message that piracy and terror won’t go unchecked.»

US MILITARY SHOOTS DOWN HOUTHI DRONES AS TRUMP’S STRIKES AGAINST TERRORIST GROUP CONTINUE 

When asked about Trump’s military strikes on the Yemen-based Houthis, Al-Ansari said, «The strikes are long overdue. The Houthis have disrupted global trade, attacked U.S. forces and fueled instability. That said, it’s unclear how far the U.S. is willing to go in its campaign against them. The Red Sea and the Strait of Mandab are among the most strategic trade routes in the world, carrying over 20% of oil shipments and 13% of global trade.» 

He continued, «Any failure to secure them risks severe economic and security consequences. While Saudi Arabia remains committed to a political solution, that can’t happen without serious pressure on both the Houthis and their backer, Iran. Strength, not appeasement, is the only language they understand.»

The official slogan of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) reads, «Allah is Greater. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam.» One of Biden’s first foreign policy moves was to de-list the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. The first Trump administration sanctioned the Houthis. 

The Biden administration also pressed the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia to pull the plug on its aerial military campaign to stop Houthi terrorism targeting the oil-rich nation and Houthi piracy on the high seas.

Smoke rises after Saudi-led airstrikes on an army base in Sana’a, Yemen, on March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Al-Ansari noted that «Saudi Arabia did its best to convince the U.S. of the Houthis’ threat, but the Biden administration failed Riyadh completely. The good news is that Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s legitimate government have already done the heavy lifting, liberating around 80% of Yemeni territory. If the U.S. wants to take on the remaining 20%, they’ll have to do it on their own. Riyadh has different regional calculations now, prioritizing diplomacy over military escalation.»

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that «Biden made the Houthis a partisan issue when he de-listed the Houthis. This has prompted Trump to target the Houthis more aggressively. And it doesn’t hurt that weakening the Houthis will signal to the Saudis that America is back as an ally of Saudi Arabia after four years of ambivalence by the Biden White House.»

HEGSETH DECLARES ‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH IS BACK’ WHILE VOWING ‘UNRELENTING’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST HOUTHI TARGETS 

President Trump is taking action against the Houthis to defend U.S. shipping assets and deter terrorist threats, according to a White House social media post on March 15, 2025. (The White House)

«These U.S. strikes have multiple benefits for the U.S.,» Schanzer added. «It’s a sign to the Saudis that we are committed to their regional security. It’s a sign to Europe that we are committed to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, which will reduce shipping costs for their companies. And perhaps most importantly, we are watching the dismantling of Iran’s ‘ring of fire’ strategy in real time. The regime is growing weaker by the day, raising questions about a possible endgame to finally take out the Iranian nuclear program or even bring down the regime.»

The Iranian regime-backed Houthis have also launched military strikes at U.S. ally Israel in response to the Jewish state’s war against the Hamas terrorist movement in Gaza.

People hold anti-U.S. and anti-Israel banners during a protest in Sana’a, Yemen, on Oct. 20, 2023. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

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President Biden first authorized strikes against the Houthis in January 2024 in response to the group’s ongoing attacks on vessels traveling through the Red Sea. Biden said he authorized the strikes «in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.» 

A week after the first strikes, the Biden administration changed policy again and put the Houthis on its list of specially designated global terrorists as it looked for a way to halt the terror group’s attacks on U.S. and world shipping. 

Fox News Digital reached out to President Biden’s spokesperson for comment on criticism over his administration’s policies towards the Houthis.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

La acusación de Hamas hacia Netanyahu

Israel justificó el ataque a la «reiterada negativa» de Hamás de liberar a los rehenes que siguen en su poder y a que rechazara las propuestas de Estados Unidos de extender la primera fase de la tregua. Foto REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

Las calles de Israel presionan para que se avance en el acuerdo con Hamas

A French Parliament member is demanding that the U.S. return the Statue of Liberty to France, who gifted it to the Americans in the 1880s.

Center-left politician Raphaël Glucksmann made the comments at a recent convention of his political party, Place Publique.

«We’re going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,’» he told supporters, according to Le Monde, a French newspaper.

«We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So, it will be just fine here at home,» he added.

HUGE UNEXPLODED WORLD WAR II-ERA BOMB FOUND IN CROWDED PARIS RESIDENTIAL AREA

France presented the Statue of Liberty to America on July 4, 1884, before it was later unveiled in New York City on Oct. 28, 1886, by then-President Grover Cleveland for the centennial of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The statue was designed by French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi and weighs about 450,000 pounds and stands at 305 feet tall.

A much smaller copy of the statue is displayed on Allée des Cygnes, a small island on the Seine River in Paris. The Lady Liberty replica was gifted to France by the U.S. in 1889 to mark 100 years since the French Revolution.

The Statue of Liberty was originally gifted to America by France in the 19th century. (iStock)

Glucksmann, a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia, has panned President Donald Trump for pulling back support for the country in its fight against Moscow’s invasion since February 2022.

He also criticized Trump for cutting federal funding to U.S. colleges and research institutions, a move that led to a French government initiative aiming to bring some of them to France.

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL BE SPEAKING WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ON TUESDAY

The Statue of Liberty was designed by French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

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«The second thing we’re going to say to the Americans is: if you want to fire your best researchers, if you want to fire all the people who, through their freedom and their sense of innovation, their taste for doubt and research, have made your country the world’s leading power, then we’re going to welcome them,» Glucksmann said.

Glucksmann also criticized right-wing members of the French Parliament for being a «fan club» for Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, a senior advisor to Trump who also leads the Department of Government Efficiency.