Pakistan has warned Iran to rein in the Houthis in Yemen following an escalation in attacks on Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported, citing Iranian and Pakistani sources, as Islamabad indicated continued cross-border attacks could activate a three-country defense pact.
The warning follows Houthi strikes on Tuesday on an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities that wounded 73 people.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said attacks extending into Saudi territory could bring into effect a joint security arrangement established under the Mecca Joint Defence Pact, signed last month by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
“An aggression on one country will be considered an aggression on all three countries,” Asif said on Pakistani TV.
“There is no ambiguity or doubt … Unprovoked aggression or spillover … into Saudi Arabia will definitely make this agreement operational.”
The pact establishes that an attack against one of the three participating countries would be treated as an attack against all of them, raising the potential consequences of continued Houthi attacks on Saudi territory
The Pakistani defense ministry, foreign ministry, and military did not respond to requests from Reuters for comment on the warning.
The Houthis, meanwhile, have threatened further action following Saudi retaliatory strikes on several provinces in Yemen.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Saudi strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”
