ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday condemned a missile attack by Houthis on a village in the Saudi Arabian border city of Jazan.
Three people — a man and two children — were hurt when a military projectile hit the village on Sunday, Lt Col Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Samghan, deputy media spokesperson of Jazan Civil Defence, said.
The injured were immediately taken to hospital for treatment. One of them was in critical condition while the other two were stable, state-owned Saudi Press Agency said. The shrapnel also damaged a civilian vehicle that was near the site of the attack.
“Pakistan strongly condemns Houthi militants’ terrorist attack by launching a military projectile on one of the border villages in Jazan area in Saudi Arabia, resulting in injuries to three civilians,” the FO said in a statement.
“These attacks threaten [the] peace and security of Saudi Arabia, as well as the region. We call for the immediate cessation of such attacks.”
“Pakistan reiterates its full support and solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity,” the statement said.
The Houthis have been targeting Saudi Arabia, mainly its border cities, and oil installations with missiles and bomb-laden drones, since the beginning of the war in Yemen in 2015.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Riyadh-backed, internationally recognised government from capital Sana’a in late 2014.
Cross-border attacks by the Iran-aligned movement have escalated since May 2020 when a truce prompted by the coronavirus outbreak expired. In late June, missiles reached the capital, Riyadh.
The Houthis, who control most large urban centres, say they are fighting a corrupt system.
