Mecca group avoids military move over Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, but warns Iran to rein in militias

Pakistan said on Thursday that there were no discussions about a military reaction from Islamabad under the Mecca agreement in response to the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia, but added that Pakistan would act when the "time comes".

"There is no such thing under discussion right now ... When time comes (we) will act under the agreement," Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said at a weekly media briefing, in response to a question asking how Islamabad planned to fulfil its obligations under the joint defence accord signed with Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The joint defence agreement signed last month stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all of them.

The question arose after Iran-backed Houthis struck Saudi cities and energy infrastructure this week, continuing attacks that by Thursday had become a second theatre of war in the Middle East.

Reuters earlier reported that Islamabad has warned Iran to rein in its Yemeni Houthi allies after they stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan, which has also been mediating the conflict between the US and Iran, condemned these attacks but provided no details on how it might respond under the terms of its defence pact.

While officials in Islamabad stressed any military role would be confined to defending Saudi territory, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said attacks spilling into the ⁠kingdom could trigger a joint security arrangement involving Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad.

Despite reticence on military moves for now, Pakistan's warning to Iran carries significant weight because of its defence pact with 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."

Khan also said that there were no plans to expand the Mecca alliance, as Washington struggles to contain the regional upheaval that has also disrupted global energy supplies.