ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia reaffirmed their commitment to diplomacy and regional stability during a call between their top diplomats on Saturday, as tensions in the Red Sea escalated following Saudi airstrikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen after attacks on Saudi-linked vessels in the region.
Saudi-led coalition forces carried out what they described as proportionate strikes on Houthi military sites in the western port city of Hodeidah after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement threatened and later targeted Saudi-linked shipping as part of its campaign to blockade the Bab Al-Mandab Strait to vessels linked to the Kingdom.
The Houthis later claimed they had retaliated by targeting facilities belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco, although there was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the claims.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan “exchanged views on the latest regional developments and reaffirmed the close and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,” the foreign office in Islamabad said.
“The two leaders underscored the importance of continued diplomacy and shared their commitment to promoting constructive engagement, peace, and stability in the region,” it added.
The call came against the backdrop of a bilateral defense agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last September, under which both countries agreed to treat an armed attack against one as an attack against the other.
The Houthis claimed strikes on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea energy infrastructure on Saturday, saying they had targeted oil facilities in Yanbu and Jazan following the coalition strikes.
Yanbu is Saudi Arabia’s principal Red Sea oil export terminal, handling millions of barrels of crude a day, and has become the Kingdom’s main outlet for oil exports bypassing the Strait of Hormuz following its closure amid the US-Iran conflict.
Jazan, on the Red Sea coast near the Yemeni border, is also home to a refinery with a significant processing capacity.
Pakistan has adopted a firmer public stance over the situation in the Red Sea as the regional confrontation has widened.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s foreign office warned any attack by Houthi rebels on Pakistani-flagged vessels would be “swiftly retaliated.”
The Houthis’ maritime blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, could further rattle global energy markets as the route has become increasingly important for oil exports following disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The development also carries economic implications for Pakistan, which relies heavily on imported oil and has increasingly depended on the Red Sea route for crude shipments since the beginning of the war in Iran.
