Houthis renew strikes on Saudi Arabia; UN extends Yemen sanctions

The UN Security Council on Thursday, 12 November, unanimously renewed the Yemen sanctions regime against the Houthis for another year. Targeted asset freezes and travel bans now run until 14 November 2027, and the mandate of the Panel of Experts was extended until 15 December 2027.

Gulf News reported that the UK-drafted resolution was adopted by consensus. It condemned Houthi military escalation and cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, including missile and drone strikes, and demanded an immediate and unconditional end to hostilities. Anadolu said some individuals in Yemen were added to the sanctions list.

The resolution also seeks to restrict components and chemicals used to make Houthi drones and missiles, strengthens implementation of the arms embargo, which has no expiry date, and adds maritime-security expertise to the monitoring panel. It does not impose new blanket sanctions or authorise military force. British Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh referred to "reckless attacks by the Houthis". Chinese envoy Fu Cong said: "The council sanctions are merely a means, not an end in themselves".

On the military side, coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency that forces intercepted suspected Houthi drones over the Riyadh region and Eastern Province.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted a pumping station on the East-West Pipeline and the Yanbu oil facility on the Red Sea with drones. He also claimed a drone attack on a military cargo plane at Sharurah airport, a direct ballistic missile hit on Khamis Mushait airbase, and a strike on the Aramco headquarters in Riyadh. He rejected as a "grave falsehood" a Saudi assertion that the group targeted the Mecca region on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera noted that Riyadh says it has rerouted about 4 million barrels of crude per day via the East-West Pipeline to Yanbu, about 4 percent of global supply. Reuters, cited by Al Jazeera, reported that Saudi Arabia is pressing the European Union to designate the Houthi movement a terrorist organisation, while European officials worry this could harm a future peace process. EU spokesperson Anouar El-Anouni declined to comment on specific discussions.

UN reports cited by Anadolu say fighting between government forces and the Houthis resumed in July, leaving 12,000 people dead or wounded. OCHA said more than 333,000 people have been displaced since August, over 24,000 of them in the past week.