Updated

As fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi Arabia intensifies, Pakistan is engaging diplomatically with Iran while facing pressure to honor its defense commitments to Saudi Arabia. Analysts say Islamabad is trying to balance its historic ties with Riyadh against the need to maintain relations with Tehran amid the widening regional conflict. The Houthi-Saudi conflict escalated further as a Houthi military spokesman said navigation in the Red Sea remains safe except for Saudi-linked ships, vowing to intensify attacks on Saudi forces until Riyadh's blockade on Yemen ends. Saudi civil defense authorities lifted danger alerts in Khamis Mushait and Taif after apparent strikes, while Iraq and Saudi Arabia's foreign ministers held an emergency call after a drone launched from Iraqi territory struck the kingdom's East-West oil pipeline, underscoring the conflict's spillover into wider Gulf security concerns.