Pakistan’s army chief has urged Iran to try to rein in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, referencing their mutual defence agreement with Riyadh, people familiar with the conversations said.

Axar.az reports, citing Financial Times, that Saudi Arabia has come under repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen and Shia militias in Iraq in recent weeks, targeting cities in the kingdom, disrupting key energy infrastructure and helping push up oil prices to their highest levels since mid-May.

In a sign of the regional alarm about the flare-up, Pakistani officials have urged Iran to caution the Houthis against further escalation, saying that it may be forced to come to Saudi Arabia’s defence if the kingdom invokes a mutual defence clause under a security deal agreed between the pair last year.

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