Saudi Crown Prince and CENTCOM Chief Confer as Houthi Strikes Strain Regional Defences

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah on Monday to discuss escalating regional developments following a surge of attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement. The high-level military consultations follow a series of cross-border drone and missile strikes targeting Saudi urban centers and energy infrastructure, which have simultaneously opened a volatile new front along Yemen's Red Sea coast toward the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The discussions in Jeddah come in the wake of diplomatic friction involving Washington and regional capitals. Sources familiar with the discussions reported that the Saudi crown prince had previously sought direct military assistance from U.S. President Donald Trump to counter the escalating Houthi threat. While President Trump declined to approve direct U.S. military strikes against the group, Washington agreed to supply intelligence-sharing and specialized targeting assistance to Riyadh.

The military escalation intensified after a drone attack launched from Iraq forced Saudi authorities to temporarily shut down the 1,200-kilometer East-West oil pipeline. The vital corridor serves as a critical alternative export route, permitting crude oil to reach Red Sea terminals without navigating the Strait of Hormuz, where international commercial shipping has faced continuous disruption from broader regional hostilities involving the United States and Iran.

Saudi officials confirmed that the recent Houthi projectile strike caused two injuries and inflicted structural damage on several buildings, including a local mosque. The attacks form part of an expanded campaign targeting economic facilities, prompting acute international anxiety over the stability of global energy supplies and maritime trade routes.

The renewed hostilities have simultaneously triggered acute diplomatic friction for Islamabad, which scrambled over the weekend to manage relations with Riyadh. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif placed a telephone call to the Saudi crown prince to express complete solidarity and convey the strongest condemnation of the Houthi assaults on Saudi economic infrastructure.

The outreach followed questions regarding Pakistan's commitment to the newly signed Mecca Pact, a mutual defence agreement concluded last month between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, which stipulates that an armed attack on any signatory is considered an attack on all. Islamabad previously angered regional partners by clarifying that the agreement did not automatically mandate direct Pakistani military intervention against the Houthis, complicating its diplomatic balancing act between Saudi Arabia and Tehran.