Yemen’s central bank orders banks to freeze assets of 135 Houthi-linked individuals, entities
Saudi-led coalition announces large-scale operation against Houthis in Yemen. Photo: Anadolu Agency
The Saudi-led coalition said early Wednesday that it intercepted and destroyed four drones launched toward Saudi Arabia.
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said on the US social media platform X that the interception and destruction operation was carried out in the regions of Madinah and the Eastern Province.
In a separate statement, al-Maliki said coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed a drone heading toward the eastern region.
Yemen’s central bank orders freezing assets of 135 Houthi-linked individuals, entities
On Tuesday, Yemen’s central bank ordered banks and exchange companies to freeze the accounts and assets of 135 Houthi-linked individuals, entities and vessels placed on terrorism lists, the government-run SABA news agency reported.
The Aden-based bank issued the directive under an October 19 order by the country’s public prosecutor to designate those listed and freeze their assets over their alleged ties to the Houthi group. The measures also ban financial and commercial dealings with those listed, including opening new bank accounts or carrying out transactions on their behalf.
Financial institutions were instructed to identify and report the accounts, assets and money transfers of those listed to the country’s financial intelligence and anti-money laundering authorities.
Read: Death toll from Houthi attack on Yemen training camp rises to 73
According to SABA, the list includes Houthi political, military and security officials, businessmen, a company and five oil tankers identified by Yemeni authorities as smuggling vessels. The agency did not disclose the names of those listed.
On October 11, Yemen’s internationally recognised government approved a draft law designating the Houthis a “terrorist organisation” and criminalising the group’s activities and financing. The government also called for completing the legal and constitutional procedures needed to enact the legislation.
EU exploring ways to increase support for Yemeni government: Kallas
On the same day, the European Union announced it was exploring ways to increase its support for Yemen’s government and stood ready to back mediation efforts aimed at resuming meaningful political negotiations, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Addressing a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Kallas said the EU was examining options to step up its assistance to Yemen amid escalating Houthi attacks and worsening regional security.
Emphasising the need for a diplomatic solution, she said the EU was ready to support efforts to revive political negotiations. “We also stand ready to support all mediation efforts to resume meaningful political negotiations. Escalation will leave everyone worse off,” Kallas said.
She urged all parties concerned to help bring “the Houthi aggression” to an end and called on the group to re-engage with the United Nations-led mediation process.
Read More: Saudi Arabia intercepts, destroys Houthi ballistic missile, coalition’s spokesperson says
On maritime security, Kallas said the EU’s Operation Aspides had escorted hundreds of commercial vessels to safety since its launch in response to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. “We have a huge list of companies requesting our support and not enough ships to help all who request it,” she said, adding that the EU lacked sufficient naval assets to meet all requests for protection.
She stressed that the operation was not intended to engage in the war but to protect commercial shipping and European trade interests.
The bloc will also continue supporting the Yemeni Coast Guard and other maritime actors in the region, including Djibouti, to combat arms smuggling, Kallas added. On calls to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organisation, she noted that such a move would require the support of all member states.
The developments came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north.
