LONDON: The European Parliament called on Thursday for the Houthi militia in Yemen to be included on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations.

MEPs overwhelmingly backed a resolution that said the Iran-backed group’s military and political wings, leadership, and military and security apparatus, should be designated.

The text called for all channels of financing for the Houthis to be dismantled and for the European Union to freeze funds and economic resources belonging to the group and its facilitators.

The resolution also condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the Houthi’s missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, including deadly strikes on Riyadh’s international airport, energy infrastructure and schools.

The parliament expressed its “full and unwavering solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and its people and “its commitment to the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.”

While the vote was non-binding, it adds more pressure on European nations to act against the Iran-backed militia.

EU member states would have to all agree on the terrorist designation for a listing to be implemented.

The United States designated the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” last year over their attacks on Red Sea shipping.

During a debate on Tuesday on the escalating Houthi violence against Saudi Arabia and within Yemen, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the group used “textbook terrorist tactics designed to sow fear amongst ordinary people in the region and also in the international community.”

The resolution also condemned the Houthis’ violence in Yemen where the group has resumed attacks against government forces in recent months, shattering a 2022 UN-brokered truce.

The parliament demanded that the group immediately ceased all hostilities “inside and outside Yemen” along with strikes against shipping and “acts of repression against the Yemeni population.”

The text also condemned the “destabilizing role of the Iranian regime … which provides the Houthis with weapons, missile and drone technology, training and financing.”

As part of the renewed fighting in Yemen, Houthi militants last month seized territory and islands at the Bab Al-Mandab strait – a vital waterway for international shipping entering the Red Sea.

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government have recaptured the areas as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, reducing the risk of Houthi attacks on vessels.

With the Iran-US war already disrupting maritime traffic in the region, the MEPs called on EU states to provide additional support for a European naval mission in the Red Sea that protects shipping.

The vote was the latest show of support from Europe for Saudi Arabia in the face of the Houthi’s attacks.

Britain announced on Tuesday that it is expanding military support for the Kingdom to include “defensive” air patrols against the militia.

France said last month it would send troops and defense ‌systems to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea energy hub of Yanbu.