Pakistan evacuated about 500 of its nationals by plane from Yemen on Sunday during a brief pause in airstrikes by a Saudi-led military coalition against Shiite Muslim Houthi forces, a Saudi military spokesman said.

Pakistan is a regional ally of Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni Muslim power in the Gulf, but has yet to say whether it will offer military support to Riyadh's campaign in Yemen.

Saudi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asseri said operations around the Red Sea port of Hodeida stopped for more than two hours on Sunday to allow the Pakistani evacuation.