Saudi Arabia is pushing Pakistan to hit Houthi positions under their new Mecca defense pact, a move that risks turning Yemen's war into a much wider regional conflict.

• Pakistan is reportedly weighing strikes on the Houthis but is unlikely to follow through, having signed the pact without intending to go to war.
• Saudi Arabia has failed since 2015 to force the Houthis into a deal, so a new push looks like a losing bet.
• The bigger danger is the Houthis marching into Saudi territory instead of fighting only inside Yemen.
• Iran-backed forces in Iraq, hit by Saudi and U.S. strikes last month, could open a second front.
• Saudi oil facilities are the weak point — a two-front war could wreck the kingdom's oil economy.

Outlook: Pakistan will likely stall rather than strike, but pressure on Riyadh and the risk of a wider war keep building.