As Saudi Arabia steps up war against Yemen’s Houthis, Pakistan set to play support role
Por Tom Hussain — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Pakistan This Week in Asia Politics As Saudi Arabia steps up war against Yemen’s Houthis, Pakistan set to play support role
To rally support among Pakistanis for the move, Islamabad and Riyadh have highlighted the Houthis’ recent drone attack on Mecca
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Tom Hussain in Islamabad Published: 4:00pm, 3 Oct 2026 Pakistani troops are expected to take over various defensive functions for Saudi Arabia to enable the Middle East country to fight an all-out war aimed at defeating Yemen ’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. According to defence analysts, Pakistani troops are not expected to participate directly in ground offensives against the Houthis being planned by Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s squabbling government factions.
Instead, their primary objective would be to free up Saudi forces to focus on what is likely to be a sustained conflict involving hundreds of thousands of Yemeni fighters on both sides.
“Saudi Arabia needs Pakistan to help defend Saudi Arabia so that Saudi forces have greater freedom to operate against the Houthis,” said Andreas Krieg, an associate professor of defence studies at King’s College London. Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
