THIS is with reference to the report ‘Houthi forces overrun Red Sea chokepoints’ (Sept 12), which, among other things, mentioned the attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, called ‘Petroline’ because it allows the kingdom to move crude to the Red Sea while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Parts of international media have been abuzz with the possibility of Israeli involvement in the attack.

Initially, the Houthis of Yemen were said to be the culprits, but then fingers were pointed towards Iran, though the origin of the attacking drones has been ascertained to be inside the Iraqi territory. The Iraqi government has exonerated itself, and even fired its top-ranking military commander after the incident.

Iran, on the other hand, has also expressed surprise as such an attack on Saudi installations was not being contemplated at least for now. This is under-standable given the recent thaw in Iran’s relations with Saudi Arabia.

So, who then, could be the real culprit wanting to take advantage of any resultant escalation and direct confrontation between Iran and its Arab neighbours? To get to the culprit and the motive behind such a cunningly calculated move, one needs to consider similar incidents purported to have been originated from Iran.

First, there were missile attacks on Iran’s northern neighbour, Azerbaijan, right at the start of the recent war, then at a Turkish port, followed by an American- controlled base in Diego Garcia. On the occurrence of each of these incidents, Iran expressed genuine surprise as it was equally taken aback by such developments.

The only country that stands to be the beneficiary of the resultant distraction and escalation of conflict is Israel, which also has the capacity to not just plan, but also execute such moves.

Since the Israelis started the war against Iran with the active — rather proactive — support of their closest ally, it is conceivable that they had orchestrated all these moves, some of which may even have originated from within the Iranian territory. In the latest case, they could have likewise used Iraqi territory bordering Iran.

It is therefore imperative for the states concerned to watch out for all such mischievous moves that are designed to create confusion, mutual suspicion and, in the extreme case, retaliation leading to open war against each other. It is also a matter of great concern for Pakistan and Turkiye because, on the one hand, they have joined hands with Saudi Arabia in forging a mutual defence pact, while, on the other, Iran is a neighbour sharing common religious and cultural links.

We need to act as the bridge between the eastern and the western flanks of the Gulf as our destinies are closely linked with them. History proves that the world’s deadliest battles started as a consequence of cunningly planned false flag operations.

Israel, without an iota of doubt, is quite good at it, and is also possibly perceived as a ‘role model’ for such moves by India which, by the way, may just be planning yet another similar false flag operation maybe from within Pakistani territory.

Jamil Akhtar Khan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026