Is Pakistan's bomb-Houthis plan a bluff against Iran?

Pakistan's pledges to support its ally Saudi Arabia by launching airstrikes targeting the Houthis in Yemen might be less of an indication of the intent to honour its Mecca Pact commitments, and more a bluff against Iran, which has been propping up the extremist group for years. The signal that it will hit the Houthis, in all probability, is to warn Iran that there could be an escalation if the Shia rebel group continues its attacks on the kingdom.The ongoing conflict between Riyadh and the Houthis, which has its roots in a failed Saudi intervention into Yemen back in 2015, is again escalating thanks to tit-for-tat strikes. The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, an extremist Shia Islamist group, enjoy the backing of Iran, which has for decades propped up proxy groups across the Middle East.Houthis drones and missiles struck a Saudi airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities on Tuesday, wounding 73 people. Riyadh retaliated with 54 airstrikes over 12 hours against Houthi strongholds in Yemen on Wednesday, reported Reuters, citing reports from the extremist group. These were then, in turn, met with Houthi strikes on the southern Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan with ballistic missiles and drones the same day.In the aftermath of the strikes on Tuesday, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif warned in an interview with the Karachi-based outlet, Geo News, that the Mecca Defence Alliance's (which Pakistan is part of alongside Saudi Arabia and Turkey) collective defence clause could become operational if there was a "spillover" of the conflict in Yemen into Saudi territory. And on Wednesday, the Istanbul-based outlet Turkiye Today reported, citing Pakistani sources, that Islamabad was preparing strikes against the Houthis, and that any attacks made would be made public shortly afterwards.However, Pakistan's threats to target the Houthis might be less about preparing to enter the conflict and more about sending a warning to Iran, while seeking to ensure that its commitments to Riyadh do not draw it into the long-running war in Yemen.PAKISTAN'S MESSAGE ON HOUTHIS A WARNING TO IRAN? Reuters reported late on Wednesday that Pakistan has delivered a warning from Saudi Arabia to Iran to rein in its Yemeni Houthi allies after they stepped up attacks on the kingdom, in a coordinated effort to prevent the crisis from spiralling, citing Saudi, Pakistani and Iranian sources. This came after Khwaja Asif's signalled Islamabad's willingness to trigger the Mecca Pact's collective security clause should the conflict between Riyadh and the Houthis spill over outside Yemeni soil.Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are two competing countries in the Middle East.In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, Islamabad, which has spent years balancing ties between Tehran and Riyadh, broke protocol to warn Iran to break off its support for the Houthis.A senior regional diplomat told Reuters that Pakistan had conveyed the message to Iran over the past 24 hours, urging Tehran to use its influence to halt Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. A senior Iranian official confirmed that Pakistan conveyed the message to Tehran on Tuesday and Tehran's response was that "Iran does not control the Houthis".However, two Iranian sources said Tehran had told the Houthis last week to carry out attacks on Saudi Arabia, and had promised additional weapons and aid, while dispatching two Revolutionary Guard commanders to Yemen to coordinate attacks.The regional diplomat said Islamabad was seeking to restrain the Houthis before the escalation reached a point where Riyadh could press Pakistan to play a more active role in defending it. "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," the diplomat told Reuters, adding, "It will pursue a diplomatic solution for now."PAKISTAN WILLING TO DEFEND SAUDI SOIL, NOT ENTER YEMENWhile Pakistan has had a collective self-defence agreement with Saudi Arabia in one way or another since 2025, Riyadh's conflict with the Houthis is much longer.The conflict stems from a failed attempt by Saudi Arabia to destroy the Houthis in 2015. After the Iranian-backed militant group overthrew then Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in 2014, Riyadh led a coalition of nine countries from West Asia and North Africa and staged a military intervention in 2015. Since then, Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war, with a Saudi-backed Yemeni government in the south battling with the Houthis entrenched in the north.While the Houthis have attacked Saudi assets on and off since 2015, the outbreak of the US-Iran war in February this year and the subsequent involvement of the Houthis has seen these strikes pick up in pace. The Houthis have also declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea since July, prompting a similar escalation in strikes by the Saudi-led coalition.Speaking to Reuters, a Pakistani source said Saudi officials had met senior Pakistani and Turkish military representatives in Riyadh to coordinate their response to continued Houthi attacks. Following the meeting, the three countries, all members of the Mecca Defence Alliance, agreed that their troops would not enter Yemen and that any response would be launched from Saudi territory, the source added.A second Pakistani source told Reuters that no decision had been made to join retaliatory strikes, stressing that its military pact with Riyadh was defensive and limited to protecting Saudi territory. This is in contrast to previous reports from Turkish media outlets, which had stated that Islamabad was actively preparing retaliatory strikes.Pakistani forces could provide military, technical, ground or air support within Saudi Arabia, but would not take part in combat operations on foreign soil, the source added.With the conflict showing few signs of easing, Islamabad's warning to Tehran may therefore be aimed at containing the escalation and deterring further Houthi attacks before Riyadh seeks greater Pakistani involvement. At the same time, it allows Pakistan to signal its commitment to Saudi security without becoming directly involved in another war in Yemen.- EndsPublished By: Shounak SanyalPublished On: Sep 10, 2026 14:13 IST