Aden (South24)

Yesterday, Yemen's National Defense Council (NDC) took a decision to designate the Houthis as a "terrorist organization" for the first time since the outbreak of the war in 2015, after targeting an oil port in Hadramout governorate.

In an emergency meeting attended by the chairman and members of the Presidential Council, and the country's military and security commanders, the NDC directed the Yemeni government to implement a number of "firm decisions" to confront the Houthis.

In a statement carried by the official Saba news agency, the NDC warned "entities and individuals against providing support, assistance, facilitation or any form of cooperation with the Houthis."

The statement added: "Targeting civilian facilities is a deliberate war crime that requires severe punishment. We call on the international community to designate the Houthis as an international terrorist group."

The NDC also warned that "the Houthis escalation would absolve the government of its obligations, including the Stockholm Agreement on Hodeidah and the terms of the collapsed truce," according to the official agency.

The National Defense Council directed the completion of the necessary procedures to implement the decision to designate the Houthis as a "terrorist organization", according to a "defense, diplomatic and economic plan."

This decision came just one day after a Houthi attack with two explosive drones, which targeted the Dabba oil port in Hadramout governorate, coinciding with the arrival of a Greek oil cargo ship.

Read more: For the First Time: Houthis Target an Oil Port in Hadramout

The attack, which is considered the most dangerous since the end of the truce on October 2, triggered wide local, regional and international reactions, describing them as "weak and timid."

Read more: The International Community Timidly Condemns the Houthis Attack 

Just hours after the attack on the Dabba port, the Houthis threatened again to target any oil companies or tankers transporting crude oil from the areas of the Presidential Council. The group described the attack as a "warning message."

In a related context, the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission which supports the Presidential Council called to reconsider the "Stockholm Agreement" on Hodeidah, and the "truce."

The commission said in a statement: "We call on the Presidential Council and the Yemeni government to reconsider the Stockholm Agreement, which served the Houthis, and the truce file that the Houthis exploit to carry out their crimes."

On Friday, the STC called for the designation of the Houthis as a "terrorist organization" after the attack on the oil port of Dabba.

So far, there has been no official comment from the Houthis, who control most of North Yemen, on the decision of the NDC.

In a separate context, AQAP claimed today responsibility for an improvised explosive device attack that left four soldiers of the Southern forces dead, in Al-Mahfad district of Abyan governorate, on Saturday.