Pakistan Guarantees It Will Defend Saudi Arabia to Any Extent

General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, head of Pakistan's military media department, emphasized on Thursday in an interview with a Saudi newspaper that Islamabad will stand alongside Saudi Arabia both diplomatically and militarily. He said: "We will defend Saudi Arabia to any extent necessary."

Pakistan's Commitment to Defend Saudi Arabia

This commitment comes as attacks by the Houthi group from Yemen on Saudi Arabia have intensified. Chaudhry stated: "I want to emphasize the word 'physical'. We will take action to any extent necessary." According to him, Pakistani forces are currently stationed in Saudi Arabia to protect the two holy sites of Islam, namely Mecca and Medina.

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Mutual Defense Agreement

The strategic defense agreement signed in September 2025 between Riyadh and Islamabad views any aggression against either country as an attack on both. Under this agreement, Pakistan sent fighter jets and support aircraft to King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia in April. Subsequently, a joint defense agreement with Turkey was also signed, which has yet to be implemented.

Pakistan's Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, announced earlier this month that any unwarranted aggression against Saudi Arabia or the expansion of the Yemen conflict into its territory would activate this agreement. However, full details of these agreements have not been disclosed, and both countries wish to remain mediators in Middle Eastern disputes.

Houthi Attacks and International Reactions

The increasing attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia have put these agreements to the test. Last week, the Pakistan Foreign Office announced that there is currently no military response under this agreement being discussed, and Islamabad will act at the appropriate time. Additionally, in recent days, the Saudi-led coalition announced that a Houthi drone heading towards Mecca had been intercepted.

In response to these developments, Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, strongly condemned these attacks. Meanwhile, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi called targeting Mecca a "wicked lie" and emphasized that the group will continue on its path.

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