Reuters: Saudi Arabia pressures EU to designate Houthis a terrorist group

Reuters, citing six European officials, reported that Saudi Arabia is pressuring the European Union to designate the Iran-allied Yemeni Houthi group as a terrorist organization, but has so far been unable to allay European fears that this move would undermine any future peace process in Yemen.

According to European officials, the Saudi campaign reflects a broader effort by Riyadh to increase international pressure on the Houthis, who have launched near-daily attacks on the kingdom in recent weeks following the resumption of the more than a decade-long war.

Reuters noted that the Houthis are already subject to EU sanctions, including an arms embargo and asset freezes on 12 of their leaders, while the bloc has designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the group's main backer, as a terrorist organization.

However, the EU has not yet gone as far as to designate the Houthis themselves as a terrorist organization, a step taken by other Western countries, including the United States, Australia, and Canada.

The agency recalled that for more than a decade, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition fighting the Houthis in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government, which the group ousted from the capital, Sana'a, in 2014.

Reuters quoted the six European officials as saying that EU countries fear that listing the Houthis as a terrorist group would close the limited channels of communication they maintain with the group and undermine any potential European role in a future peace process in Yemen.

Listing the Houthis as a terrorist organization requires unanimous approval from the 27 EU member states. The agency quoted one official as saying that support for the move has so far been limited to a few countries, declining to identify them due to the confidentiality of the discussions.

Reuters said the Saudi government's communication center did not respond to a request for comment, while it quoted the EU's foreign policy spokesperson, Anwar Al-Anouni, as saying that the union is in regular contact with Riyadh on a range of issues, including regional developments, but he declined to comment on any specific ongoing discussions.

The agency added that the European Parliament adopted a resolution last month calling on the EU to list the Houthis as a terrorist group, a largely symbolic step, but one that reflected support within the continent for taking a tougher stance against the group.

Reuters quoted Joana de Deus Pereira, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based defense think tank, as saying that European countries want to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia but remain hesitant about listing the Houthis as a terrorist group, noting that the practical impact of such a move would be limited.

Pereira added that among European concerns is the possibility of Houthi retaliation for the listing decision by targeting European ships off the coast of Yemen, as well as the potential for the designation to complicate the work of relief organizations in areas under the group's control.

The agency pointed to another reason that may prompt the EU to be cautious: the difficulty of reversing decisions to list groups as terrorists, as lifting the designation, once imposed, requires unanimous consent from member states.

Reuters noted that the Yemeni coast stretches along the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait at its southern entrance, a vital waterway connecting Europe and Asia. It warned that any Houthi attacks in the region could further disrupt global trade, which is already facing the repercussions of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli war against it.

In its review of the escalation, Reuters said that Saudi Arabia, with US support, led a years-long military campaign against the Houthis before the Iran-allied group and the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government agreed to a truce in 2022.

It added that the truce collapsed in July of this year after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sana'a airport, noting that both sides have since launched cross-border attacks that have resulted in civilian casualties.

The agency quoted EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as saying that the EU stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia following a Houthi missile attack on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh during October, which resulted in fatalities.