"Today, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two key militants of the Iranian-backed Ansarallah, sometimes referred to as the Houthis", the release said. "Mansur Al-Sa’adi and Ahmad ‘Ali Ahsan al-Hamzi are responsible for orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces impacting Yemeni civilians, bordering nations, and commercial vessels in international waters."
Hamzi heads the Houthi-aligned Air Force and Air Defence Forces, while Saadi serves as the chief of Houthi Naval Forces, according to the release.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters earlier in the day that Washington considering taking additional steps to hold the leaders of the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen accountable for their latest attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted several missile attacks, including a ballistic missile fired toward the capital Riyadh.
Yemen has been for over six years gripped by a conflict between the government forces of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebel. The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched a military operation to support Hadi in 2015. The Houthis continue to maintain control over the vast part in the north of the country, including the capital of Sanaa.
