ISLAMABAD / RIYADH — Pakistan has denied a report that its air force fighter jets took part in strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen. The denial leaves claims of direct Pakistani combat involvement in the escalating Saudi-Houthi conflict unconfirmed.

The dispute began with reporting by The New York Times. It cited anonymous Pakistani officials who said Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft had been used in operations against the Houthis, and that Islamabad’s contribution was focused on countering missile and drone threats rather than joining a ground offensive.

On Thursday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected that account. It called the claim that PAF aircraft were being used against the Houthis “fake and fabricated.” The ministry also urged foreign media not to speculate about the use of Pakistani forces under the country’s defense arrangements with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, as CNN reported.

“Fake and fabricated.” Pakistan’s Information Ministry on the claim that PAF aircraft are being used against the Houthis.

Troops in the kingdom, but no confirmed strikes

Pakistan has, however, confirmed that its armed forces are deployed in Saudi Arabia. Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of the military’s media wing, told CNN that Pakistani forces were “already there,” while declining to specify their size, equipment or missions. He said any Pakistani involvement would be defensive in nature and framed it as part of the defense of Saudi Arabia, according to News18.

The wider escalation

The developments come amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement. Saudi authorities said Houthi attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha killed three people and wounded dozens. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the coalition had retaliated by striking dozens of Houthi military locations, including missile-storage and command sites, the Times reported.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen including the capital, Sanaa, have been in conflict with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition since 2015. The latest fighting has intensified around Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while missile and drone attacks have increasingly reached Saudi territory, according to the same report.

No ground offensive announced

Reporting attributed to anonymous officials said no ground offensive was planned, and Pakistan has not announced one, per CNN.

Verification status: what holds up

What can be said, and what cannot

At present, the strongest defensible conclusion is that Pakistan has forces in Saudi Arabia and has committed to Saudi defense, but there is no publicly verified confirmation that Pakistani aircraft have conducted combat strikes inside Yemen.

Any report identifying JF-17s, F-16s, sortie locations, targets, weapons or numbers of aircraft should be labeled unverified unless corroborated by Pakistan’s military, Saudi authorities, independently authenticated imagery, or multiple reliable on-record sources.

Sources

● This is a developing story. FFN will update as official statements emerge. Source links were supplied with the reporting and should be double-checked before republication.