Saudi Arabia adds 'Houthi', 'Al-Qaeda' Yemenis to terror list

Saudi Arabia adds 'Houthi', 'Al-Qaeda' Yemenis to terror list
The designations come despite an ongoing UN-brokered truce between the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the Houthi rebels
1 min read
15 June, 2022
Saudi Arabia listed the Houthis as a terrorist organisation in 2014 [Mohammed Huwais/AFP via Getty]

Saudi Arabia has added 19 Yemeni individuals and entities to its terror list because of links to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Riyadh said on Tuesday.

The eight individuals and eleven entities were designated "for their association with activities supporting the 'Houthi' terrorist militia", the Presidency of State Security said in a press release.

The entities and individuals have smuggled smuggled weapons, money and oil to the Houthis, according to the press release. Four of the listed individuals also had ties to Al-Qaeda, it said.

The designations come despite a truce between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen, which began in April.

Saudi Arabia listed the Houthis as a terrorist organisation in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to shore up the government, months after Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced, in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has long been considered the global network’s most dangerous branch, and has attempted to carry out attacks on the US mainland.

Riyadh added 13 individuals and three entities to its terror list earlier this month, including those with links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Syrian regime, the Islamic State group, the Nigeria-based Boko Haram and more.