Saudi Arabia pressures the European Union to declare Yemen's Houthis a terrorist organization

Saudi Arabia intensified its diplomatic efforts to get the European Union (EU) to include the Houthi movement in Yemen on its list of terrorist organizations. The initiative seeks to increase international pressure on the group, which in recent weeks resumed its attacks against Saudi territory in the midst of a new escalation of the regional conflict

.

According to six European officials interviewed, Riyadh has not yet obtained the necessary support to move forward with the proposal. Although there are concerns about the Houthis' military operations, several governments believe that a terrorist designation could close the communication channels they still maintain with the organization and reduce the chances of reaching a political agreement in Yemen

.

The Houthi terrorist movement, also known as Ansar Allah, has controlled the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, since 2014, when it expelled the internationally recognized Government. Since then, he has been fighting with government forces and with the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which intervened in 2015 to support

the Yemeni authorities.

The group is backed by Iran and has military capabilities that include missiles and drones used in attacks against strategic installations and civilian targets. The United States, Australia and Canada already consider it a terrorist organization, while the European Union maintains a different position.

Brussels is currently applying sanctions against the Houthis, including an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of twelve of its commanders. In addition, the EU included Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one of the movement's main backers, on its own list of terrorist organizations. However, he has not yet adopted that classification against Ansar Allah.

To add the group to the European list, the unanimous approval of all 27 member States is required. Support for the Saudi proposal remains limited to a small number of countries

.

Saudi pressure comes after the collapse of the truce reached in 2022, which broke down in July of this year. Since then, both sides resumed cross-border attacks, which resulted in civilian casualties. In October, a Houthi missile attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport raised concerns about the kingdom's

security.

The European Parliament approved a resolution last month calling for the Houthis to be included in the terrorist list, although its pronouncement does not constitute a binding decision for national governments.