Pakistan backs Saudi Arabia amid Houthi escalation
Pakistan will continue its diplomatic efforts to defuse escalating tensions in the Middle East, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday, as renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and fighting in Yemen threatened to further widen the regional conflict.
During a telephone conversation with the crown prince, the prime minister reiterated Islamabad’s strong condemnation of the recent Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure and assured Riyadh that Islamabad would continue working for peace and stability in the region.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz said he, along with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, would continue their efforts to help defuse tensions and promote peace in the region,” according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The conversation came amid a sharp deterioration in the Yemen theatre, with Houthi, MBS,
Iran-backed Houthi forces stepping up missile and drone attacks against southern Saudi Arabia while making significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The Houthis on Sunday claimed to have launched a combined ballistic missile and drone attack against a Saudi military base in Sharurah in Najran province, saying weapons depots and command-and-control facilities were targeted. Saudi authorities also reported that a projectile struck the Jazan region, wounding two people and damaging a mosque.
The latest escalation follows a wave of Houthi attacks last week that targeted several Saudi cities and energy-related facilities. More than 70 people were reported injured in the attacks, while fires were triggered at oil and other infrastructure facilities.
The violence has coincided with a major Houthi offensive inside Yemen. The group has advanced along the Red Sea coast, capturing the strategic port of Mokha and gaining positions around Perim Island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.
The developments have raised fears that the conflict could once again turn into a full-scale regional confrontation after several years of relative calm following the 2022 Yemen truce.
The situation has also created fresh risks for global energy and shipping markets. The attacks come as the wider Middle East remains unsettled by the continuing US-Israel conflict with Iran and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have moved above $100 a barrel amid growing concerns over the security of major energy routes.
Saudi Arabia has also faced a separate drone attack on its critical East-West oil pipeline, which Riyadh has linked to militants operating from Iraqi territory. The incident prompted the temporary shutdown of the pipeline, while Baghdad launched an investigation and moved against a local military commander.
For Pakistan, the latest escalation presents a particularly delicate diplomatic challenge. Islamabad has deepened its strategic relationship with Riyadh while simultaneously seeking to maintain channels with Tehran and promote a negotiated settlement to the wider US-Iran confrontation.
The prime minister expressed “complete solidarity” with the Saudi leadership and people, saying the Houthi attacks posed a threat to regional peace and security and could further disrupt the global economy and energy supplies.
At the same time, he praised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his “wise and sagacious leadership” throughout the crisis and conveyed his warm wishes and respectful regards to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, appreciated Pakistan’s “steadfast support” for the kingdom and its efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact and expressed a desire to meet at an early date.
The latest crisis also puts the newly established Makkah Defence Alliance involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye under its first major test. The alliance, signed in Makkah last month, commits the three countries to collective defence, with an attack on one member to be treated as an attack on all.
However, Pakistan has so far sought to distinguish its security commitments to Saudi Arabia from direct involvement in the Yemen conflict, while maintaining that diplomacy remains the preferred route for resolving regional disputes.
The challenge for Islamabad will therefore be to sustain its support for Saudi Arabia’s security while preventing the expanding Yemen conflict from undermining its broader mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
Pakistan has already invested considerable diplomatic capital in trying to keep channels open between the competing sides. The latest escalation makes that role more difficult but potentially more important than ever.