Pak jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen as part of Mecca Pact, 8,000 soldiers in Saudi Arabia too

Pakistan Air Force conducted strikes against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as the Mecca Pact with Saudi Arabia was activated for the first time. Around 8,000 Pakistani soldiers are also stationed in Saudi Arabia. This drags Pakistan into the larger Middle East conflict.

In Short

• Pak jets reportedly join strikes on Houthis under Mecca Pact
• Around 8,000 Pakistani troops are stationed in Saudi Arabia
• Pakistan faces delicate balance between Riyadh and Tehran

Pakistan Air Force fighter jets are being used in strikes against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, as Islamabad has reportedly stepped up military support for Saudi Arabia under the newly activated Mecca Defence Alliance, according to a report in The New York Times.

There are also around 8,000 Pakistani troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, according to estimates cited by the NYT.

A senior Pakistani military official, speaking anonymously, told the NYT that Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft were being used in attacks targeting the Houthis.

The development marks a significant expansion of Pakistan's military role in the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have intensified missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory in recent days. Islamabad had positioned itself as a peace mediator, seeking to broker an final agreement amid the wider conflict between the US and Iran.

However, Pakistan's Information Ministry dismissed the NYT report as "fake and fabricated", denying that PAF aircraft were used against the Houthis.

PAK PERSONNEL CONFIRMS TROOPS STATIONED IN RIYADH

Pakistani military personnel are already stationed in Saudi Arabia, CNN reported on Wednesday. Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of Pakistan's military media wing, confirmed to CNN that Pakistani forces were present in the Gulf kingdom, although he did not disclose their numbers or capabilities, citing the classified nature of the deployment.

The confirmation comes days after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey moved to activate their collective defence arrangement, known as the Mecca Pact.

The three countries signed a Nato-like Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, which was later named the Mecca Defence Alliance. Under the pact, an armed attack against any one of the three countries is to be treated as an attack against all three, creating a collective-security framework similar in principle to a mutual-defence arrangement.

The pact was put into practical operation this week after an emergency meeting of the three countries' strategic political and defence committee in Riyadh. The members agreed to move towards the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia in response to the threats facing the kingdom.

NO OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION BY PAK MILITARY ON USE OF JETS IN YEMEN

According to the NYT, US defence analyst Col David O Smith, a former US Army attache in Pakistan and former senior Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, estimated that around 8,000 Pakistani troops are currently deployed in Saudi Arabia. He said the force includes personnel from the Pakistan Air Force and Army Air Defence and could be used to help protect critical oil infrastructure.

Smith said Pakistani troops were unlikely to take part in direct ground combat against the Houthis, given Islamabad's need to maintain its relationship with Iran.

A second Pakistani official, also speaking anonymously to the NYT, said Islamabad's role was expected to concentrate on countering the Houthi missile and drone threat through air support rather than sending ground forces into Yemen.

Pakistan's military has not officially commented on the reported use of its fighter jets in strikes against the Houthis.

The latest development comes as Saudi Arabia faces a renewed Houthi offensive involving missiles and drones. Houthi attacks have targeted Saudi cities, airports and other critical infrastructure, prompting Riyadh to intensify military operations against the group.

PAKISTAN GETS PULLED DEEPER INTO THE WEST ASIA CONFLICT

The reported use of Pakistani fighter jets would mark a significant shift in Islamabad's role in the Middle East conflict.

Pakistan has historically sought to maintain close military and economic ties with Saudi Arabia while avoiding direct involvement in the Yemen war, partly because of its relationship with neighbouring Iran.

In 2015, Pakistan's Parliament voted to keep the country out of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen.

Nearly a decade later, the activation of the Mecca Pact and the deployment of Pakistani forces to Saudi Arabia are drawing Islamabad much closer to the conflict.

With Pakistani jets now reportedly taking part in operations against the Houthis, Pakistan would no longer be providing only a defensive shield for Saudi Arabia but could find itself directly involved in a wider regional confrontation involving a group backed by Iran.

The move could test Islamabad's ability to balance its strategic partnership with Riyadh against its longstanding need to avoid an open military confrontation with Tehran.

- Ends
(Written by Anand Singh)