00:16After Saudi Arabia reportedly asked Islamabad to for military support against the Houthis,
00:23Pakistan is now said to be considering airstrikes on Houthi positions.
00:27And this comes under a new defense pact between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
00:33But there is a major condition.
00:35Islamabad says any military role would remain defensive, focused on protecting Saudi territory,
00:42rather than launching offensive operations inside Yemen.
00:46At the same time, Pakistan has reportedly delivered a warning to Iran,
00:50urging Tehran to use its influence over the Houthis
00:54and stop attacks on Saudi Arabia before the conflict spirals into a wider regional crisis.
01:00Iran's response?
01:02An Iranian official says Tehran does not control the Houthis.
01:06But that claim is now being challenged.
01:09Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran had encouraged the Houthis to escalate their attacks,
01:15while promising additional funding and weapons.
01:17And while that diplomatic battle is unfolding, the situation on the ground in Yemen is changing fast.
01:25Houthi forces have reportedly broken through government-held territory west of Taiz,
01:31taking heists, seizing the strategic Khalid ibn al-Walid military camp,
01:35and forcing forces loyal to Tariq Saleh to retreat along the Red Sea coast.
01:41But the biggest development may be the reported fall of Mocha.
01:45Mocha is not just another Yemeni city.
01:48It sits roughly 70 kilometers north of Bab al-Mandab,
01:52the narrow maritime gateway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden,
01:56and one of the world's most sensitive shipping choke points.
02:00The Houthis have already demonstrated their ability to disrupt shipping
02:04in and around the Red Sea using missiles and drones.
02:07Now, a stronger Houthi position farther south could bring their forces significantly closer
02:14to the Bab al-Mandab itself, and that could have consequences far beyond Yemen.
02:20Mocha had remained outside Houthi control since 2017
02:24and became a major base for Tariq Saleh's national resistance forces on Yemen's western coast.
02:30Its reported capture, therefore, represents more than a battlefield setback.
02:35It creates a major hole in the anti-Houthi front
02:39and could dramatically reshape the military map of western Yemen.
02:43So now, two major developments are unfolding at the same time.
02:48Pakistan is reportedly weighing a military role to help defend Saudi Arabia,
02:54while the Houthis are expanding their position along Yemen's Red Sea coast.
02:58And with Saudi oil infrastructure already under threat,
03:02the stakes are no longer limited to the Yemen battlefield.
03:06The real question now is, will Pakistan remain in a defensive role,
03:10or could Saudi Arabia's request pull Islamabad directly into the conflict?
03:15And if Houthi forces continue moving south,
03:18the next battle could put even greater pressure
03:21on one of the world's most important shipping routes.
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