Report: Pakistan Weighs Strikes on Houthi Targets as Yemen Conflict Escalates

The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen could expand with another country joining the campaign. Pakistan is considering carrying out strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen as part of the activation of the "Mecca Alliance," the joint defense alliance of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, Turkey Today reported today (Wednesday), citing Pakistani sources.

According to one source, Pakistani strikes could begin as early as the coming days, and if they do take place, they will be publicly announced immediately afterward. Another source said that one possible military objective would be to remove the Houthis from Saada Province in northern Yemen, near the Saudi border, considered the group's main stronghold. However, the report stressed that no final decision has yet been made.

The report comes amid a significant escalation in the conflict. Al-Masirah, a channel affiliated with the Houthis, reported today on Saudi strikes in Saada Province. Just yesterday, the sides came close to a broader escalation after the Houthis announced that they had struck air bases and Aramco energy facilities in southern Saudi Arabia, in response to dozens of Saudi airstrikes in various provinces across Yemen.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said: "As part of the response to the latest Saudi escalation, which led to war crimes expressed in the attack on the central prison in Al-Jawf Province and caused dozens of dead and wounded, including women and children, we carried out a joint aerial operation that struck military bases." According to him, the bases that were attacked had been used to launch about 120 airstrikes against Yemeni territory.

The Saudi military announced yesterday that 73 Saudi civilians, including women and children, were injured in attacks carried out by the Houthis the previous night in several cities in the south of the kingdom. The Saudi military described the attacks as "a dangerous escalation that constitutes a blatant violation of Saudi sovereignty and a direct threat to the security and safety of its citizens."

The Saudi military spokesperson added that the forces would take "all necessary operational measures" to "deter the terrorist militia and combat its hostile approach." At the same time, Al-Masirah, the Houthi-affiliated channel, reported Saudi strikes in Yemen's Saada Province.