Deadly Houthi attacks on Saudi airports highlight widening fallout from Yemen civil war

Key Saudi ally Pakistan has confirmed it has troops stationed in the Gulf kingdom, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continue cross-border attacks with deadly assaults on airports. “The forces of Pakistan are already there. That I can share with you,” Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, without specifying how many or their capabilities, saying those details were classified. The confirmation from Chaudhry, the chief of the Pakistani military’s media wing, came just days after the two nations and Turkey agreed to the rapid deployment of the forces, as part of a newly minted mutual defense treaty. Over the past two days, the Houthis have killed three people in attacks on Saudi’s Abha International Airport, near the Yemen border, and King Khalid International Airport, in the capital Riyadh, Saudi officials said.