Houthi attack on Mecca, Medina would cross ‘red line’, Pakistan PM tells UN

Pakistan’s prime minister has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, warning that any “threat to the sanctity” of the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina is a “red line that must never be crossed”. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Shehbaz Sharif denounced recent Houthi attacks as “deplorable”. He added that an attack by the Iran-aligned Yemeni group, which Riyadh says targeted Mecca, “outraged Muslims across the globe”. The Houthis have dismissed the accusations as a “heinous lie” . Last month, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed a trilateral defence pact , formally known as the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. The pact states that an attack on any member will be treated as an attack on all.