Multiple nations have reported receiving letters from Saudi Arabia threatening diplomatic repercussions as well as cutbacks in trade from the entire GCC if they back the Netherlands-Canada resolution on Yemen at the UN Human Rights Council, scheduled for Friday.

This is the third straight year of the UN Human Rights Council approaching the war crimes in Yemen, and the past two years saw the Saudis having a fit before everyone decided to just let the Saudis investigate themselves. The Saudis are offering an alternate resolution this year to keep doing that.

A soaring civilian toll in the Yemen War has meant growing support for the Netherlands-Canada resolution. China backed the measure a couple of weeks ago. The US has come out against the resolution, backing the Saudi alternative.

That Saudi Arabia is bothering to threaten people ahead of the vote shows how concerned they are at where it’s going. In the past, they’ve relied on the historical reality that whenever they have a loud enough fit at the UN, everyone else backs down and gives them what they want. That apparently no longer applies.