A senior Houthi official said that if Pakistani or Turkish forces join the offensive alongside Riyadh, the movement will strike back with an ‘iron fist’
In a sharp escalation of West Asian geopolitical tensions, Yemen’s Houthi movement has issued an explicit military threat against Pakistan and Turkey, warning both nations against deploying forces or intervening militarily in support of Saudi Arabia.
The warning follows public statements from Pakistani defence officials regarding the potential activation of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement—a trilateral collective security pact signed in August 2026 between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey.
High-Level Threat from Houthi Leadership
Addressing the growing speculation around foreign troop deployments in an interview, senior Houthi official Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti warned that any direct military intervention by Islamabad or Ankara would trigger severe and immediate military retaliation against both countries.
The Houthi official asserted that Yemen remains in a strictly defensive posture against Saudi-led military operations and economic blockades. However, he emphasised that if Pakistani or Turkish forces join the offensive alongside Riyadh, the movement will strike back with an “iron fist”. Drawing parallels to previous strikes against Western naval assets and regional targets, Al-Bukhaiti stated that Yemen would “discipline” any foreign power that enters the conflict.