Pakistan denies reports of PAF jets being used in attacks against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen

Pakistan on Thursday denied reports saying that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft were being used to strike against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. A New York Times report had cited an unnamed source as saying that PAF fighter jets were being employed against the Houthis amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Saudi Arabia.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) participated in strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the NYT reported Thursday, days after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey activated their trilateral military pact, called the Makkah Accord.

The report said a senior Pakistani military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, said on Wednesday that Pakistan Air Force fighter jets were being used in strikes against the Houthis.

“Col David O Smith, a former US Army attaché in Pakistan and a former top analyst for the Defence Intelligence Agency, said on Wednesday that there is consensus among analysts that about 8,000 Pakistani troops have been deployed to Saudi Arabia, though he does not have access to classified figures,” it said.

‘Pak soldiers unlikely to engage in direct combat with Houthis’

He said the troops include a contingent from the Pakistan Air Force and the Army Air Defence, and that they would likely be used to help secure oil infrastructure. “Colonel Smith added the Pakistani soldiers are unlikely to engage in direct combat with the Houthis, as Islamabad walks a fine line to preserve its relationship with Iran,” the newspaper reported.

“A second Pakistani official who also spoke on condition of anonymity said Pakistan’s role in the conflict is expected to focus on degrading Houthis’ drone and missile threats through air support, rather than a ground offensive in Yemen. Pakistan’s military declined to comment,” the report said.

However, Pakistan’s information ministry denied the report and said in a post on X that the NYT story “attributing the employment of PAF aircraft against Houthis is fake and fabricated”.

“International media houses are again asked to avoid speculative reporting with regard to the employment of Pakistan’s military forces under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Details of any deployment, if necessary, will be given by the authorities concerned,” it added.

Pak, Saudi and Turkiye agreed to deployment of military forces

The development comes after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye agreed to the deployment of military forces and capabilities rapidly in the kingdom during an emergency meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance in Riyadh on Monday.

The defence pact, signed on Aug 7, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. Monday’s meeting under the alliance was held to address the security developments and threats facing Saudi Arabia.

A statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office after the meeting said the member states had “decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties, thereby enhancing readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats”.

Saudi Arabia made gains, recovered some areas in Yemen: Khawaja

Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was part of Pakistan’s delegation in the meeting, said Saudi Arabia had made “gains and recovered some areas” in Yemen in the ongoing fighting with the Houthis.

Asked about a possible operational role by Pakistan and Turkiye, Khawaja said that both nations had a “presence in theatre”, but only Saudi troops were involved in combat operations.

On Wednesday, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also said Pakistani troops are in Saudi Arabia, adding that they had been in the kingdom “for decades” and across multiple domains.

On Thursday, the Houthis claimed that they had struck the Saudi capital’s main international airport with a ballistic missile.

Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of Pakistan's military media wing, told CNN on Wednesday that Pakistani forces were present in the Gulf kingdom, although he did not disclose their numbers or capabilities, citing the classified nature of the deployment.