World
Pakistan deepens involvement in campaign against Houthis: fighter jets already attacking
According to reporting in The New York Times, Pakistan Air Force fighter jets are already participating in strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. According to analysts' assessment, approximately 8,000 Pakistani troops have already been deployed in Saudi Arabia, and according to the reporting one of the force's missions is expected to be protecting Saudi Arabia's oil and energy infrastructure from missiles and drones fired by the Houthis. A senior Pakistani official said Pakistan's role is expected to focus on air support and not a ground operation inside Yemen.
· Source: Maariv. Photo as published in the article
Pakistan Air Force fighter jets are already participating in strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, The New York Times reported citing a senior Pakistani military official, and according to analysts' assessment approximately 8,000 Pakistani troops have already been deployed in Saudi Arabian territory.
A senior Pakistani military official, who spoke with The New York Times on condition of anonymity due to operational sensitivity, confirmed that Pakistan Air Force jets are being used in offensive activity against the Houthis. Another senior Pakistani official told the newspaper that Pakistan's role in the campaign is expected to focus on weakening the Houthis' missile and drone capabilities through air support, and not joining a ground operation inside Yemen. Pakistan's military refused to comment on the reporting.
According to Colonel David O. Smith, former U.S. military attache in Pakistan and former senior official at the U.S. Defense Department's intelligence agency, analysts' assessment is that approximately 8,000 Pakistani troops have already been deployed in Saudi Arabian territory. Smith clarified that he does not have classified information. According to the reporting, the force includes Air Force personnel and units of Pakistan's air defense array, and one of their central missions is expected to be protecting Saudi Arabia's oil and energy infrastructure from missiles and unmanned aircraft the Houthis are launching from Yemen.
Smith estimated that Pakistani troops will likely not participate in direct ground combat against the Houthis. According to him, Islamabad is trying to assist Saudi Arabia, an old and important ally, while at the same time avoiding a move that could lead to a sharp clash with Iran, which maintains close ties with the Houthis.
Meanwhile, the Houthis launched missiles and drones Wednesday toward an airport in the city of Aden in southern Yemen, and a spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition said another missile was intercepted north of the capital Riyadh. Last night it was reported that Saudi Arabia and Syria are conducting talks on the possibility of sending tens of thousands of Syrian troops to Yemen, and that Syrian President Al-Julani is seriously considering the move but has not yet made a final decision.
Source: Maariv
