In recent days, the conflict in Yemen has intensified significantly. On the 7th, the Houthis said that Saudi Arabia launched 156 air and missile attacks on Yemen in the past 24 hours. The Houthis used ballistic missiles and drones to attack King Khalid International Airport, Abha International Airport and multiple military bases in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi General Civil Aviation Authority issued a statement on the same day saying that two airports in the country were attacked from the 6th to the 7th, resulting in a total of 3 deaths and 36 injuries. The Saudi-led coalition later stated that the coalition had destroyed a ballistic missile launch platform located in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, that was used to attack the Saudi capital Riyadh.
At present, the Pakistani military has carried out multi-field defense cooperation in Saudi Arabia. However, sources said that Türkiye currently has no intention of setting up a military base in Saudi Arabia.
Experts warn that the continued escalation of conflicts may exacerbate regional security crises and spillover risks cannot be ignored.
Conflict in Yemen escalates significantly
Houthi armed forces say they have attacked multiple targets in Saudi Arabia
Yahya Saraya, the military spokesman of the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, issued a statement on the social media platform on the 7th, saying that in the past 24 hours, Saudi Arabia launched 156 air strikes and missile attacks on six provinces in Yemen. The latest attack brings the total number of air strikes and missile attacks carried out by Saudi Arabia since this round of escalation to 1,798.
Saraya said that the Houthi armed forces launched drones and ballistic missiles and hit King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Abha International Airport in Asir Province in southwest Saudi Arabia, Khamis Mushait Air Base, Al Qifa Military Camp, and two military camps in the Jizan region in southwest Saudi Arabia. As a result, air traffic at two airports was affected, military bases were damaged, and dozens of military personnel were injured or killed.
Saraya also said in the statement that in the past 24 hours, the Houthi armed forces used ballistic missiles and drones to attack the gathering areas of the Yemeni government forces in Jawf and Lahj provinces, causing dozens of casualties among the government forces, including commanders, and destroying many military vehicles.
Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed Houthi armed missile facilities
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the multinational coalition led by Saudi Arabia, said on social media on the evening of the 7th that the coalition forces had destroyed the ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, used to attack the Saudi capital Riyadh. Maliki also said that new attacks on Saudi Arabia were being prepared when the launch platform was destroyed.
Maliki said on social media earlier on the 7th that coalition forces intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi armed forces north of Riyadh.
In addition, the Saudi Arabian Civil Aviation Authority issued a statement on the 7th saying that Abha International Airport in southwest Saudi Arabia and King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh were attacked from the 6th to the 7th, resulting in a total of 3 deaths and 36 injuries.
Recently, the Houthi armed forces have stepped up their offensive against the Yemeni government forces, announced a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and attacked targets in Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni government forces launched the "Yemen Dawn" large-scale military operation against the Houthi armed forces on the 5th, and the Saudi-led multinational coalition announced that it would provide air support for the operation. Currently, the Houthi armed forces and the Yemeni government forces are fighting on the west coast of Yemen and in areas near the city of Taiz, the capital of Taiz Province.
The Pakistani military has carried out multi-field defense cooperation in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the "Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement" on August 7. The agreement stipulates that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack on all three countries. On October 5, the three countries held an emergency meeting of the "Mecca Defense Alliance" Strategic Political and Defense Committee in Riyadh, announcing the launch of a collective defense mechanism and agreeing to deploy military forces in Saudi Arabia to improve combat readiness, military integration, and the three parties' ability to jointly respond to and contain threats.
Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director of Pakistan's Inter-Services Information Bureau, said on the 7th that the Pakistani military is currently carrying out defense cooperation in Saudi Arabia with multiple capabilities and in multiple fields.
Chaudhry said that the "Mecca Alliance" did not "emerge out of thin air" but was built on the long-standing diplomatic, political, military and people-to-people relations between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Previously, Pakistani troops had been stationed in Saudi Arabia for decades.
Türkiye currently has no intention of setting up a military base in Saudi Arabia
A Turkish government source said on the 7th that Turkey currently has no plans to establish a military base in Saudi Arabia.
According to Turkish sources, Türkiye's establishment of a military base in Saudi Arabia is an issue discussed within the framework of the "Mecca Defense Alliance". However, the Turkish government source said: "This matter is not on the agenda."
Another Turkish government source said on the 6th that any deployment of Turkish troops in Saudi Arabia will need to go through various legal and regulatory procedures. Turkey has not yet determined the specific deployment time.
British media quoted Turkish officials as saying that Turkey only plans to send small-scale troops and air defense equipment to provide defense support to Saudi Arabia.
Yemen conflict escalates
Exacerbating regional security crisis
Li Zixin, an expert on Middle East issues at the China Institute of International Studies, said that from within Yemen, the Houthi armed forces and the Yemeni government forces are attacking each other, involving more and more civilian infrastructure, entering a stage of a symmetrical war of attrition, which will definitely exacerbate the humanitarian disaster in Yemen, and the Yemeni civil war has entered a new stalemate. At the same time, the Houthi armed forces and Saudi Arabia continue to escalate their attacks on each other, which may trigger the intervention of external forces, thereby exacerbating the security crisis in the entire region and the shock adjustment of the power structure.
In the past two days, the targets of attacks have expanded to include civil aviation targets and energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia dispatched more than a hundred fighter planes and responded with a saturation strike of thousands of air strikes, covering most of the core areas of the Houthi-controlled areas. The multi-party melee has entered a rapid vicious escalation cycle. Houthis designated Saudi Arabia's airspace as a so-called operational area and warned international airlines to suspend flights, which also touched the basic red line of civil aviation safety.
The twin straits continue to be turbulent, shipping and energy markets are under pressure
The situation in Yemen continues to escalate, and one of the main goals of all parties to the conflict is to compete for control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and surrounding coastal areas. At the same time, the confrontation between the United States and Iran continues to be protracted, and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz continues to be blocked. There are three aspects of the current evolution of the situation that deserve attention:
First, in the context of the rapid escalation of conflicts, how will the "Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement" signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye put the collective defense mechanism into practice. Once the operations of all parties are slightly inconsistent, it can easily lead to an increase in the risk of conflict spillover.
Second, Iran’s mediation window is currently narrowing. Iran has proposed mediating between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, but if there are heavy casualties or if Saudi Arabia's core sensitive targets are attacked, there will be a risk of a showdown between Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. If Iran allows the situation to develop in a direction that is not conducive to the Houthis, its own credibility will collapse within the "Arc of Resistance".
Third, the risk of cross-strait linkage is still increasing. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has been restored with the support of the "shadow fleet", but the frequency of attacks is also increasing, and the overall security situation is not optimistic. Once the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis further escalates, it is highly likely that the passage of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait will be blocked. By then, both straits will be in an extremely unstable state, which will have a serious negative impact on the international shipping and energy markets.
At present, all parties have no intention of ceasefire in the short term. There is a high probability that the conflict will be delayed or even escalated for a long time. Although the probability of spillover to a wider area is not high, it cannot be ruled out. The key is to see whether there are any major civilian casualties.
Producer丨Zheng Hong
Producer丨Zhao Xinyu
Editor-in-Chief丨Cui Chong
Editor丨Chen Yufan
