A Houthi drone strike on Abu Dhabi in which three people, including a Pakistani, were killed and Saudi-led coalition’s bombing of Sanaa killing at least 14 people as a reprisal the following day are two very dangerous developments in relation to peace in the region and even beyond.

The Houthi attack on the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi confirms Houthi rebels’ ability to hit targets at places quite far away from Yemen. Earlier, such strikes by them inflicted a lot of economic loss on Saudi Arabia in previous years. Condemning the attack on the UAE, the Pakistan Foreign Office has urged for an immediate de-escalation.

However, Pakistan cannot do much in this regard. It is a reality that Houthis are strongly aligned with Iran. Iran, therefore, can play a meaningful and effective role towards de-escalating the current situation. The simmering cauldron of Yemen poses grave threats to the peace of region. It must be doused as early as possible.

Zeeshan Hamid (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022