European Parliament urges EU to add Houthis to terrorist list

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STRASBOURG, France — The European Parliament on Thursday urged the European Union to add Yemen’s Houthi movement to its list of terrorist organisations.

The resolution is not binding. A designation would require the agreement of every member state, Arab News reported.

Members adopted the text in plenary by a show of hands, according to the Brussels outlet Eunews, which reported that no recorded tally was published.

The resolution responded to Houthi escalation and its consequences for regional security, the Yemeni state news agency Saba reported.

Saba said Parliament emphasised its support for Yemen’s security, sovereignty and territorial unity.

The designation sought covers the movement as a whole. Eunews reported that it extends to the Houthis’ military and political wings, their leadership and their military and security apparatus, with no distinction drawn between armed and unarmed branches.

Parliament asked the EU to dismantle the movement’s financing channels. It called for the funds and economic resources of the group and its facilitators to be frozen.

The text also sought measures to stop the Houthis acquiring weapons, according to The Maltese Herald.

The motion drew support from the European People’s Party, Renew Europe and the Socialists and Democrats, the same outlet reported.

“You cannot only defend against terrorists. You must also name them, isolate them and cut their money,” said Antonio López-Istúriz White of the European People’s Party.

Abir Al-Sahlani of Renew Europe said it was time to place the Houthis on the EU terrorist list.

Arkadiusz Mularczyk of the European Conservatives and Reformists called for action against the group’s funding and weapons supplies, including sanctions against Iran.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, told the chamber the Houthis were not operating independently.

The group is “financed, equipped and trained by Iran,” she said.

Kallas said a designation requires unanimous agreement among member states.

She condemned Houthi attacks on civilian targets, naming King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, residential areas of the Saudi capital and Yemen’s presidential palace in Aden. She called the attacks a violation of international humanitarian law.

Kallas reaffirmed EU solidarity with Saudi Arabia and with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

Members condemned Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia in the strongest possible terms, according to Arab News.

Arab News reported that the text referred to deadly strikes on Riyadh’s international airport.

Parliament described the attacks as violations of international law and international humanitarian law, Brussels Morning reported. The resolution denounced earlier Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Members condemned attacks on vessels passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the destruction of energy infrastructure in the Red Sea, Eunews reported.

Parliament asked that Operation Aspides, the EU naval mission protecting shipping in the region, be maintained and strengthened. It welcomed the extension of the mission’s mandate and urged member states to provide additional naval and air assets.

Kallas said Aspides had escorted hundreds of vessels. European naval resources remain insufficient for the demand, she said.

The resolution condemned what it called the destabilising role of Iran, saying Tehran supplies the Houthis with weapons, missile and drone technology, training and financing.

Parliament also asked the EU to recognise Iran’s support for armed proxy groups in the region, The Maltese Herald reported.

Members also condemned coordination between the Houthis, Hezbollah and other groups backed by Iran, according to Eunews.

Tehran has rejected accusations that it arms the Houthis.

Parliament demanded that the Houthis halt all hostilities inside and outside Yemen and abandon territorial ambitions, Brussels Morning reported.

Members expressed solidarity with the Saudi government and backed Yemen’s internationally recognised government. They reaffirmed support for the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries.

The text cited Yemeni civilians killed and displaced and a worsening humanitarian situation.

Kallas said more than 22 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance and that millions have been displaced. She said the EU had pledged additional humanitarian support and called for a revived UN-led mediation process.

Kallas called for renewed diplomacy on Yemen.

The Houthis hold Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. The internationally recognised government is based in Aden.

The movement began attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in late 2023. Many operators rerouted vessels around southern Africa.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in its 2026 plan, published in March, that 18.3 million people in the country are acutely food insecure.

The plan recorded more than 2.2 million children under five as acutely malnourished, 516,157 of them severely. It counted 5.2 million internally displaced people.

OCHA sought 2.16 billion dollars to reach 12 million of those in need.

A listing is a separate decision from Parliament’s resolution, which adds political pressure on member states to consider it, according to The Maltese Herald.

Jacek Ozdoba, a shadow rapporteur from the European Conservatives and Reformists, said the resolution came from his initiative, Brussels Morning reported. He welcomed the breadth of support it received.

Ozdoba referred to Gulf partners whose populations have come under attack. He named Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.