Saudi Arabia designates five Yemenis for links to Houthi militia group

Charges against the five include weapons smuggling from Iran and involvement in missile and drone attacks on the kingdom

Saudi Arabia said it will continue to work to stop the influence of Yemen's Houthi rebels and to target those providing them with financial support. EPA

Saudi Arabia has added five Yemeni individuals to its designated terrorism list for their support of the Iran-backed Houthi militant group.

A statement from the Presidency of State Security said all assets belonging to the designated individuals “must be frozen, and any direct or indirect transactions with them are prohibited”.

It identified the five Yemenis as Mansour Ahmed Al Saadi, Ahmed Ali Al Hamzi, Mohammad Abdulkarim Al Ghamari, Zakaria Abdullah Yahya Hajar and Ahmed Mohamed Ali Al Johary.

Mr Al Saadi allegedly worked and co-operated in smuggling Iranian weapons to Yemen, and has previously received extensive training in Iran, according to the State Security statement on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia accused him of being the mastermind behind attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

Mr Al Hamzi was in charge of the Houthis’ drone programme, had received Iranian-made weapons, and has received extensive training in Iran, the statement claimed.

Saudi authorities accused Mr Al Ghamari of receiving training in Iran related to the launching of ballistic missiles and drones into the kingdom.

Mr Hajar and Mr Al Johary are both accused of being involved in the Houthis’ ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

In June, Saudi Arabia added 19 Yemenis and companies from Yemen to its list of designated terrorists. Some were also listed because of links to Al Qaeda and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Yemen’s military committee on Tuesday suspended peace talks in Amman with the Houthi rebels following a military attack in Taez that left dozens dead and injured, according to Saba, the government-controlled news agency.

The attack came amid a UN-brokered truce that went into effect on April 2 and continues until October 2, after being renewed twice.