Pakistan condemns Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia

Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent attacks launched by the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia that injured five civilians in a border village of Jazan region.

"These attacks not only violate the territorial integrity of the kingdom but also threaten the lives of innocent people," Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement.

The FO added that Pakistan calls for the immediate cessation of attacks and it stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

"Islamabad also calls on Houthi militia to halt its attacks on Ma'arib governorate in Yemen," he said. "We reiterate our call for a comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Yemen through peaceful means."

In February, the Saudi-led coalition said it had thwarted a ballistic missile attack by the Houthis on the Saudi capital Riyadh, and destroyed six armed drones launched towards cities in the kingdom’s south.

Read more: US reaffirms 'defence partnership' to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks

Six drones aimed at targeting “civilians and civilian objects” were launched towards Jazan and Khamis Mushait, the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state media.

The Iranian-aligned Houthis subsequently said they had deployed a ballistic missile and nine drones at “sensitive targets” in Riyadh and six drones at military sites in Abha and Khamis Mushait.

Washington reaffirmed its "strategic defence partnership" with Riyadh in the face of increased attacks by Yemeni rebels but the move came in a call from the Pentagon not the White House.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin condemned the Houthi attacks in a telephone conversation Thursday with his Saudi counterpart, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the official Saudi Press Agency and a Pentagon statement had said.

Austin spoke with Prince Mohammed "to reaffirm the strategic defence partnership between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", the Pentagon statement said.

"The secretary condemned the recent Huthi cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed his commitment to assisting Saudi Arabia in the defence of its borders."

With additional input from Reuters and AFP