The State Department is continuing to rebuff bipartisan pressure from lawmakers to redesignate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, despite the Iran-backed group’s continued attacks on Israel and shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

The Houthis struck central Israel earlier this week, using what the group described as a new hypersonic missile, after striking within feet of a U.S. diplomatic facility in Tel Aviv in July.

In a letter to Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) on Tuesday, a State Department official said the administration opposes reimposing the FTO designation on the Houthis, saying that doing so could be an impediment to groups that may have to do business with the Houthis to provide basic supplies inside Yemen.

“An FTO designation triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to an FTO, which cannot be mitigated by Treasury licenses,” the letter reads. “The Houthis control ports and distribution access, thus an FTO designation would have major implications on food security and basic needs of the population because approximately 90 percent of products to meet basic needs in Yemen are commercially imported.”

Torres wrote to the administration about the issue in response to the July attack in Tel Aviv.

The Specially Designated Global Terrorist designation, which the administration imposed on the Houthis, includes sanctions on the group, although the administration has also granted various waivers. The FTO label grants additional sanctions authorities.

The official also emphasized the administration’s goal of avoiding “harming and alienating Yemeni civilians.”

The State Department official added, however, that the administration, ”will continue

to monitor the Houthis’ destabilizing activity against peaceful maritime trade and continue to consider additional designations as appropriate in the future.”