3 hrs ago
Pakistan Warns Iran as Houthi Attacks Escalate Against Saudi Arabia
The Houthis, a group fighting in Yemen, attacked places in Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones.
Some attacks hit an airbase and energy facilities, and 73 people were reportedly hurt.
Saudi Arabia has responded or threatened to respond to the attacks.
The Houthis said Saudi warplanes carried out airstrikes in Yemen, but Saudi Arabia has not confirmed those claims.
Pakistan warned Iran to use its influence to stop the Houthi attacks.
Pakistan has a security agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Pakistan’s defence minister said the agreement could be used if fighting spreads into Saudi Arabia.
Pakistani officials said any military help would focus on protecting Saudi territory, not fighting inside Yemen.
The countries are trying to prevent the conflict from becoming a larger regional war.
Houthi attacks struck a Saudi airbase and energy infrastructure, wounding 73 people, according to reports.
Pakistan warned Iran to restrain the Houthis and said spillover into Saudi Arabia could activate its pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye reportedly agreed their troops would not enter Yemen and that any response would come from Saudi territory.
Pakistan’s military role, if needed, would be limited to defending Saudi territory rather than combat operations inside Yemen, according to Pakistani sources.
Reports differ over Saudi airstrikes: the Houthis cited 54 strikes in one account and 32 in another, while Saudi Arabia had not confirmed the claims.
- Who
- The Houthi movement, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran and Türkiye are the main parties discussed; Saudi-backed forces are also fighting the Houthis in Yemen.
- What
- Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have intensified, prompting Pakistani warnings to Iran and discussion of possible Pakistani defensive support for Saudi Arabia.
- Where
- The fighting is centered in Yemen, including areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and west of Taiz, while Houthi attacks targeted Saudi locations including Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan.
- When
- The latest attacks occurred on Tuesday, with Houthi claims of Saudi airstrikes issued on Wednesday; the broader offensive began last week and the Mecca Pact was signed about one month earlier.
- Why
- Pakistan and regional officials are seeking to prevent Houthi attacks and the wider Saudi-Iranian proxy conflict from expanding into a broader regional security crisis.
Pakistan may activate the pact
Pakistan may limit involvement
Meaning of spillover
Pakistan may activate the pact
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said unprovoked aggression or spillover into Saudi Arabia would make the agreement operational.
Pakistan may limit involvement
Asif also said Pakistan would honor the pact only if a need arises, leaving its direct involvement conditional.
Scope of military support
Pakistan may activate the pact
Pakistani forces could provide military, technical, ground or air support within Saudi Arabia if the kingdom requires protection.
Pakistan may limit involvement
Pakistani sources said no decision had been made to join retaliatory strikes and that Pakistani troops would not conduct combat operations on foreign soil.
Iranian responsibility
Pakistan may activate the pact
Two Iranian sources said Tehran told the Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia and offered additional funding and weapons; a U.S. official also alleged Iranian involvement.
Pakistan may limit involvement
An Iranian official said Iran does not control the Houthis, while Houthi attacks and Saudi airstrike claims reflect competing accounts of responsibility for the escalation.
Key facts
- Reported injuries
- Seventy-three people, including women and children, were wounded in the Houthi attacks.
- Reported Saudi airstrikes
- The Houthis cited 54 Saudi airstrikes over 12 hours in one account and 32 strikes across four Yemeni regions in another; Saudi Arabia had not confirmed the claims.
- Reported deaths
- More than 500 people were reportedly killed since the Houthi offensive began last week.
- Saudi targets
- The attacks targeted an airbase and energy facilities, including sites linked to Saudi Aramco; fires temporarily halted some operations.
- Pakistan’s warning
- Pakistan urged Iran to restrain the Houthis and warned that spillover into Saudi Arabia could activate the trilateral security arrangement.
- Military limits
- Pakistani sources said any support would be confined to defending Saudi territory, with no Pakistani troops entering Yemen or taking part in combat there.
- Pact members
- The Mecca Pact involves Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye and treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all three.
Quotes
A senior regional diplomat
Regional diplomat familiar with Pakistan's intervention
“Pakistan has an agreement with Saudi Arabia, but I am hopeful the situation will not reach the point where Pakistan has to practically step in. It will pursue a diplomatic solution for now.”
NDTV
“Unprovoked aggression or spillover of whatever is happening in Yemen into Saudi Arabia will definitely make the pact operational. There should be no doubt about it.”
wionews.com
Sources
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