The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen are receiving parts for drones and weapons, some with technical characteristics similar to arms manufactured in Iran, in potential violation of a UN arms embargo, UN experts said.

The experts did not say in a report to the Security Council whether the weapons were delivered to the Houthis directly by the Iranian government, which has repeatedly denied sending them arms.

"In addition to the previously known weapon systems, they used a new type of Delta-design uncrewed aerial vehicle and a new model of land attack cruise missile," the document said.

The weapons, as well as commercially available parts constituting some of the weapons, potentially violated the embargo, according to the document.

In the Houthi-controlled north, the experts said, the militias continued to consolidate their political and military control, using their “pervasive intelligence services” and brutally suppressing tribal opposition and political dissent.

The panel said it identified a network targeting women who oppose the Houthis, including through the use of sexual violence. In eleven cases, the experts said they documented the arrest, detention, beating, torture and/or sexual abuse of women “because of their political affiliations or participation in political activities or public protests.”

“These women were threatened with charges of prostitution or organized crime if they persisted in activities against the Houthis,” the panel said.

The experts said they investigated the September 14 high-profile attack on Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Khurais and Abqaiq, where the Kingdom’s crucial oil processing plant is. The drone and missile attacks cut into global energy supplies and halved Saudi oil production.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks. But the panel said it found that “despite claims to the contrary, the Houthi forces are unlikely to be responsible for the attack, as the estimated range of the weapon systems used does not allow for a launch from Houthi-controlled territory.”

Nonetheless, the experts said a number of other attacks using the same drones and land-based cruise missiles can be attributed to the Houthis.

Several countries, including the United States, have ruled out the Houthis' ability to conduct such an attack, and instead accused Iran, which has denied involvement.