Senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti has warned Turkey and Pakistan against intervening in support of Saudi Arabia in its confrontation with the Yemen-based group, following a defence agreement involving Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad.

Israeli newspaper Maariv quoted al-Bukhaiti as dismissing the defence arrangement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan as largely “symbolic.”

At the same time, he warned that any direct Turkish or Pakistani intervention on Saudi Arabia’s behalf would carry a “heavy price.”

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The remarks come amid heightened tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and concerns that further involvement by regional powers could broaden the confrontation.