The Saudi-led military intervention is justified and sends a powerful message to Iran, whose officials have boasted about expanding Iran’s regional domination en route to recreating the Persian Empire, that Arab states will no longer stand with their hands tied behind their backs.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has heard it loud and clear, which is why he removed his benign mask and resorted to insulting the Arab leadership and terming the operation “genocide.”

The Arab world’s historical heartland cannot be allowed to fall to a ragtag group of armed rebels. Iranian-backed Houthis, representing just six percent of the country’s 25 percent Shiite population, pose a danger to the Kingdom as well as a crucial waterway, the Bab El-Mandeb through which 40 percent of the world’s shipping passes.

Yemen is of scant importance to cash-strapped Iran apart from its strategic geographical location. An Iranian proxy governing Yemen would have altered the country’s Arab identity and posed a threat to neighboring countries as well as the unimpeded passage of vessels through the Red Sea.

Initially, both Pakistan and Turkey were vocal in their support for “Operation Decisive Storm.”

The Turkish government mulled contributing logistical support and there were a slew of reports indicating that Pakistan was ready with warships and, potentially, ground forces. Turkish-Saudi relations warmed considerably in February during Turkish President Recep Teyyep Erdogan’s visit to Riyadh when he discussed regional issues with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and signed cooperation agreements, portending a new era of Sunni unity. Just weeks ago, Erdogan said: “Iran and the terrorist groups must withdraw from Yemen.”

Erdogan further accused Tehran of expanding its influence in Iraq where the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard elite Quds Force is leading the show against Islamic State terrorists. “Iran is trying to dominate the region…This has begun annoying us, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. This is really intolerable and Iran has to see this,” he told reporters. So far so good!

But as soon as Erdogan met his Iranian counterpart in Tehran to discuss boosting bilateral trade and to bargain over the price of Iranian natural gas, he seemingly turned tail on his previous stance, if the Iranian president is to be believed. Hassan Rouhani announced to the media that both Turkey and Iran agree “war and bloodshed must stop in the area immediately, a complete cease-fire must be established and the strikes must stop.”

Pakistan, with which the Kingdom has long enjoyed close relations and close military ties, has also U-turned on its initial willingness to accede to the Saudi request to provide fighter jets, warships and boots on the ground if such were deemed necessary.

The UAE’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Anwar Gargash, revealed his disappointment and described Pakistan’s lawmakers’ response as “unexpected,” adding that their desire to maintain Pakistan’s “neutrality” conflicts with their expressions of “genuine support” for the Kingdom.

Of course, Sharif could legitimately claim that he threw the decision in Parliament’s lap as a nod to his country’s democratic principles. However, in light of the fact that he even as the debate was ongoing, he held talks with Iran’s visiting Foreign Minister Mohammed Javed Zarif, suspicions of Iranian arm-twisting are raised. What Iran’s leverage might be remains a topic of speculation.

I wonder if Sharif has experienced the slightest twinge of conscience when remembering that it was Saudi Arabia that offered him sanctuary in 1999 while over the years, the Kingdom has provided billions in aid to Pakistan during some of its darkest hours.

Gargash has also drawn the conclusion that “Tehran seems to be more important to Islamabad and Ankara than the Gulf allies.” It certainly looks that way from the outside looking-in.

To make the scenario even murkier, Erdogan and Sharif have been hobnobbing over the phone ostensibly to find ways of intensifying efforts to forge a diplomatic solution while agreeing that any threat to Saudi will be dealt with by “iron hands.” That’s pure flimflam when Iranian hegemonic ambitions furthered by its proxies are not only a threat to the Kingdom, its oil fields and Islam’s holiest sites, but also to Gulf states and the region as a whole.

One non-Arab ally that did stand up to be counted was the United States, in spite of the fact that its historical initiative with Iran, on which President Obama has pinned his legacy, could be scuttled. Secretary of state has loudly condemned Iran’s meddling in other countries and Washington is providing intelligence as well as aerial refueling capabilities. Saudi’s fickle friends will now behave like guests who didn’t turn up for a wedding because they’re too mean to buy a gift or because the bride’s gun-toting brother has warned them off. They’ll make supportive noises; they’ll come up with excuses and the rejected host will pretend to believe every word.