Security paradox

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian interests are pushing the region toward a major crisis. Reports of a drone attack over the holy city of Makkah are highly condemnable and unacceptable under any norms of warfare. Though the Houthis have denied the attack, it could still lead to widespread repercussions, as even the slightest strategic miscalculation could ignite a full-fledged war. The only point of consolation, however, is that both sides are not going over the brink. Yet, the fact that the Houthis have set on fire the East-West oil pipeline and are encroaching on navigational routes is an undesirable escalation. More than 13 civilians were reportedly killed or injured in the Yemeni militia's missile and drone attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, while Riyadh was blamed for flying more than 450 sorties. The downing of a Saudi F-15 aircraft and the forcing of Typhoon warplanes over Marib to withdraw hint at a build-up that could prove catastrophic. Quite evidently, the Middle East is simmering with a paradox. The conventional security provider, the United States, has let its allies down. Its obsession with acting as a client state of Israel has cost it its prestige in the region. The Iran war has exposed the superpower's fault lines. Vice President JD Vance's recent realisation that the US cannot allow its Mideast policy to be "subservient to the state of Israel" is too little, too late. The damage is done. The biggest casualty for the US is the loss of faith among its allies. The Makkah Pact is, thus, an auto-correction intended for collective deterrence and carries no extra-territorial regional aspirations. The pact does not state that every hostile act, economic measure, or threat automatically triggers collective military action. The way forward is to return to the fine print of the Islamabad MoU and get talking. China, too, has asked for this. Persuading Iran to tame the Houthis is indispensable, and that can only happen if the crisis of confidence is addressed. The Salalah talks postponement highlights the need for more intricate parleys. The Houthis have unnecessarily opened a new front, and the earlier they are neutralised, the better.