Pakistan urges halt to Houthi strikes on Saudi territory as UN sanctions extended

WASHINGTON: Pakistan called for the “immediate and unconditional” cessation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia on Thursday, as the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution renewing sanctions against individuals and entities threatening peace and stability in Yemen. The resolution also sought to restrict the Houthis’ access to components and chemicals used in manufacturing drones and missiles, and condemned their military escalation inside Yemen, as well as attacks against Saudi Arabia. Adopted by consensus, it extended the targeted asset freeze and travel ban on individuals threatening peace in Yemen. including those associated with the Houthis, until Nov 14, 2027, and renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts monitoring the sanctions until Dec 15, 2027. The council demanded that the Houthis halt their military offensive, stop attacks against Saudi Arabia and end threats to commercial shipping. It also reaffirmed the arms embargo imposed under Resolution 2216 in April 2015, which has no specified expiry date. In his explanation for voting in favour of the resolution, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Haider Shah said: “Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms the continued Houthi terrorist attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We stand in full and unwavering solidarity with the leadership, government and brotherly people of Saudi Arabia. Our support for the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability is resolute. “Consistent with the United Nations Charter and international law, we support its legitimate right to defend its territory and protect its citizens and residents. We demand an immediate and unconditional cessation of these reprehensible Houthi attacks.” Ambassador Shah described accountability for individuals and entities threatening Yemen’s peace, security and stability as essential to creating conditions for lasting peace. The resolution The resolution seeks to address the Houthis’ ability to manufacture weapons locally using commercially available components and precursor chemicals. UN monitors have found that the group maintains its arsenal through smuggling and diversion of civilian-use equipment, gradually reducing its dependence on outside supplies. The Security Council tasked its members with deciding by January 11 what measures should be taken to prevent the Houthis from acquiring specified items, based on a list to be prepared by the expert panel. The resolution also expanded the panel’s responsibilities, asking it to examine revenues generated by the Houthis through their control of key economic sectors in Yemen and recommend ways to prevent those funds from being diverted to military activities. Another provision reaffirmed that the arbitrary detention of UN, diplomatic and humanitarian personnel by the Houthis could constitute grounds for additional sanctions. It followed the death in Houthi custody of Mohammad El-Shami, a Yemeni employee of the UN Human Rights Office who had been detained since June 6, 2024. His family was only recently informed that he had died more than a month earlier. Negotiations on resolution Negotiations on the resolution witnesses disagreements despite its eventual adoption by consensus. Britain had sought to restore language describing the Houthis as a terrorist group, a designation used in previous sanctions resolutions since 2022, but dropped the effort after Russia objected that it could undermine political negotiations. Bahrain, supported by the United States, also sought to reintroduce the language, but the proposal was not accommodated. China, backed by Russia, objected to the proposed list of dual-use items and the expansion of the expert panel’s mandate. Yemen’s Ambassador to the UN, Abdullah Al-Saadi, welcomed the council’s condemnation of the Houthis but regretted that it “was not able to agree on naming things with their names”. He argued that the absence of stronger language did not absolve the group’s supporters of responsibility. He also accused the Houthis of using starvation as a weapon of war and called for an end to their longstanding siege of Taiz. For its part, Pakistan backed stronger international action against the Houthis but also stressed that the conflict required a political settlement respecting Yemen’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. Ambassador Shah called for an inclusive political process under the UN leadership. “An inclusive political process that is Yemeni-owned and Yemeni-led” was necessary to advance peace and stability, he said. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to support international efforts to restore peace and stability and address Yemen’s immense humanitarian suffering. On the implementation of sanctions, Pakistan emphasised that the Panel of Experts must operate strictly within the Security Council’s mandate, maintaining professionalism, impartiality and consistency. “Such an approach is necessary to strengthen the credibility and effectiveness of the panel’s work,” Ambassador Shah said. Pakistan also appreciated Britain’s constructive role in negotiating the resolution. The Houthis have been firing ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi airports, ports and oil installations in recent weeks. The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to intervene militarily the following year in support of the internationally recognised government. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely froze the conflict, but hostilities resumed earlier this year, with the Houthis launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory and Riyadh carrying out airstrikes in Yemen. The latest escalation has threatened the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Additional input from Reuters

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