Islamabad condemns Houthi militia’s missile, drone attacks on Saudi Arabia

Houthi militia fired missiles that reached the Saudi capital on Tuesday

Islamabad condemned on Wednesday the missile and drone attacks towards Riyadh and other cities of Saudi Arabia carried out by the Houthi militia.

"Pakistan strongly condemns multiple missile and drone attacks towards Riyadh, Najran and Jazan by the Houthi militia," read a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

Islamabad called for "immediate cessation of these attacks" and reiterated its support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the face of "any threats to its security and territorial integrity".

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement fired missiles that reached the Saudi capital on Tuesday, the first such attack since a ceasefire put in place during the coronavirus epidemic expired last month.

Two large explosions could be heard in Riyadh near dawn and smoke billowed into the sky. The Houthis said they had hit the Saudi defence ministry and a military base, while a Saudi-led military coalition said it had shot a missile down, making no reference to targets.

There was no sign of damage to the side of the defence ministry building that is visible from the main road or to any surrounding buildings. The area was quiet on Tuesday evening, with normal traffic flows and no additional security measures.

Earlier, on June 22, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the southern separatist forces had agreed on a ceasefire and were to begin talks in Saudi Arabia on implementing a peace deal, the Saudi-led coalition said.

The government, based in the southern port of Aden, and the separatists are nominal allies in the Saudi-led coalition, which has been at war against the Iran-aligned Houthis that have controlled the capital since 2014.

However, the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self rule in April, and the two sides have been fighting in the south, complicating UN efforts to forge a permanent ceasefire to the overall conflict.

Tensions escalated over the weekend after the STC seized control of Socotra, a Yemeni island in the Arabian Sea, deposing its governor and driving out forces of the government.

The two sides have now agreed to a ceasefire in Abyan province along the coast east of Aden, as well as de-escalation of tensions in Socotra and other regions, and the start of talks, a statement from the Saudi-led coalition said.

“The Coalition calls on all Yemeni political, social and media components and powers to support the parties’ response to convene a meeting in Riyadh, and work diligently to implement the Agreement,” the statement added.