Houthis Wound 73 in Saudi Arabia; Pakistan Cites Pact — SkimNews
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- Houthis launched attacks on southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding at least 73 people according to Riyadh, in an escalation of fighting that resumed in July after a UN-brokered truce had halted large-scale combat since 2022.
- Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that any attack on Saudi Arabia could activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, stating Pakistan is "bound by the terms and conditions of this pact" and will "honour them in case there is a need."
- The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed last month by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan, mirrors NATO's mutual defence principle—treating a strike on any single member as a strike on the group—though the article notes its implementation mechanisms remain undefined.
- Combined, the three signatories field approximately 1.4 million active troops, 3,400 military aircraft, 6,000 tanks, and more than 340 naval assets, according to the 2026 Global Firepower Index.
- Saudi warplanes responded on Wednesday with strikes across Yemen's Marib, al-Jawf, and Taiz governorates—including five hits in the Khab wa Sha'af district—per Houthi-run Al Masirah TV; Saudi forces did not immediately comment.
- The Houthis have declared a blockade against Saudi vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping corridor that has grown more critical for Saudi oil exports since Iran began restricting passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Houthi ground forces launched a major offensive last week through western Taiz and southern Hodeidah, advancing toward the port city of al-Makha and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Why it matters: Pakistan's defence minister publicly committed to potentially activating a NATO-style pact over Houthi strikes, binding 1.4 million combined troops across Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan. The pledge comes even as the pact's implementation mechanisms remain undefined and the Houthis already blockade the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—a corridor Saudi Arabia depends on more heavily since Iran restricted the Strait of Hormuz.
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