The latest:
The UN Security Council condemned Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, and declared its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its right to self-defense while insisting there is no military solution in Yemen. The Council also urged member states to work with the Yemeni government to block Houthi weapons supplies and smuggling.
Details:
- The Council’s text: The Security Council said it is gravely concerned by Yemen’s catastrophic humanitarian situation and the growing risk of large-scale famine, and demanded the immediate release of detained UN staff and personnel of aid organizations and diplomatic missions held in the country.
- Yemen’s reaction: Yemen’s representative to the Security Council said the resolution came at a critical moment of dangerous Houthi escalation, welcoming its condemnation of the group’s military activity, but regretted that the Council did not describe the Houthi militias as terrorist groups and called for a firmer international position.
- The Saudi push: Six European officials told Reuters that Riyadh is lobbying the EU to designate the Iran-aligned Houthis a terrorist organization, but has not yet overcome European concerns that such a step could undermine a future peace process in Yemen.
- Why Europe hesitates: The officials said EU states fear a listing would close the limited channels they keep with the group and weaken any European role in future talks. A listing requires unanimity among the 27 member states; one official said only a few back it so far.
- Existing measures: According to Reuters, the Houthis already face EU sanctions including an arms embargo and an asset freeze on 12 leaders, and the bloc has designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The United States, Australia and Canada have gone further and listed the Houthis themselves.
- The analyst’s reading: Joana de Deus Pereira, senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, assessed that European states want to show solidarity with Riyadh but see limited practical effect from a listing, and fear Houthi retaliation against European ships and complications for relief work.
- The latest attacks: The Houthis said Thursday they struck a pumping station on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, an oil facility at Yanbu on the Red Sea and an Aramco building in Riyadh. The group did not specify the day the attacks were carried out.
- The coalition’s account: The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two Houthi drones, one near Riyadh and one in the oil-rich Eastern Province. Saudi authorities did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the claimed strikes.
- The denial: The Houthi military spokesman denied the group targeted Mecca with two ballistic missiles that Saudi civil defense said were intercepted Wednesday, with debris falling in the Mecca area. The group has repeatedly rejected coalition accusations of strikes on the two holy cities.
- Ground fighting: Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Taiz reported escalating clashes across Jawf, Marib, Taiz and Lahij, with government forces saying their operations had reached Bayda province. Houthi-run media reported air strikes on Shamaytain district south of Taiz, including four on Naqil al-Hajma and two on Turbah.
Background:
Reuters reported the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi military intervention the following year. A UN-brokered truce largely froze the conflict in 2022 but collapsed in July after the Houthis accused Riyadh of bombing Sanaa airport.
Between the lines:
The Yemeni envoy’s complaint and the European hesitation describe the same gap from opposite ends: the Council condemned the attacks while insisting on no military solution, and the EU keeps channels open for talks it may yet need. Reuters noted an EU listing is unusually hard to reverse, since lifting it also requires unanimity — one reason caution outlasts solidarity.
What’s next
Watch whether any additional EU capitals back the Saudi request, given the unanimity requirement among 27 states, and whether Houthi strikes on Saudi oil infrastructure and Bab al-Mandab shipping continue.
