Pakistan Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia at UN Security Council
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK — WEB DESK: Pakistan has strongly condemned Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, telling an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council that the strikes threaten regional stability, international trade and energy security while reaffirming Islamabad’s support for Riyadh’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, delivered the remarks as the Security Council considered the rapidly deteriorating situation in Yemen and around the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.
“Pakistan condemns, in the strongest terms, all Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Ahmad told the 15-member council, according to reporting from the meeting. Pakistan also reiterated its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for the kingdom’s right to take necessary measures to defend its territory.
The Pakistani envoy warned that Yemen had entered an increasingly dangerous phase and called for urgent measures to prevent further escalation.
Pakistan said attacks on Saudi civilian and economic targets posed risks extending beyond the kingdom itself, with potential consequences for regional peace, the global economy and energy security.
Bab al-Mandab Raises Global Shipping Concerns
Ahmad also expressed concern about expanding Houthi military activity around Bab al-Mandab, describing the waterway as a vital maritime corridor.
“The expansion of Houthi attacks in and around Bab al-Mandab, this vital maritime corridor, represents a serious escalation,” he said.
Pakistan warned that attacks against commercial shipping and other violations of international law could increasingly threaten freedom of navigation and uninterrupted international maritime commerce.
The warning comes as the security situation around the southern Red Sea has deteriorated.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council that fighting had intensified along Yemen’s western coast as Houthi forces advanced towards Bab al-Mandab and reportedly captured several islands in the southern Red Sea.
However, the UN said commercial shipping flows through the Red Sea appeared to remain unaffected for the time being, even though the Houthi advance had increased market concerns amid continuing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
That distinction is important: the security risk around Bab al-Mandab has increased, but available UN reporting does not establish that commercial traffic through the Red Sea has stopped.
Pakistan Calls for Political Solution in Yemen
Despite strongly condemning the attacks on Saudi Arabia, Pakistan also reiterated its support for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Yemen and called for a political settlement.
Islamabad said sustainable peace required a Yemeni-led, Yemeni-owned and UN-facilitated political process, alongside dialogue and regional de-escalation.
This position is consistent with Pakistan’s previous statements at the Security Council. In earlier UN remarks, Islamabad condemned Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia while simultaneously calling for dialogue, diplomacy and an inclusive political process in Yemen.
Pakistan has also repeatedly condemned the detention of UN and humanitarian personnel by the Houthis and called for their immediate and unconditional release.
The latest Security Council intervention comes amid a broader escalation involving Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office had already condemned attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure earlier this month, describing strikes on the kingdom’s East-West oil pipeline as violations of international law and Saudi sovereignty.
The September 15 Security Council session was called against a rapidly changing military situation around Yemen’s western coastline. The UN warned that renewed escalation could further destabilise Yemen, deepen civilian suffering and complicate attempts to revive a political settlement.
Pakistan said it would continue diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions and advancing regional peace.
The position outlined at the Security Council therefore combines explicit condemnation of Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and support for Saudi territorial security with a parallel call for de-escalation and a negotiated, UN-supported resolution of the Yemen conflict.
