Pakistan Vows to Defend Saudi Arabia ‘to Any Extent’ Amid Houthi Attacks
DG ISPR says Pakistan stands with Riyadh diplomatically and physically amid escalating Houthi attacks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will go “to any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks, the country’s military spokesperson said on Thursday, reaffirming what he described as an “unconditional” commitment to the kingdom’s security amid escalating Houthi attacks.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said Pakistan stood with Saudi Arabia “both diplomatically and physically” and would continue to defend the kingdom against any aggression.
“Our commitment to Saudi security is unconditional,” Chaudhry told Arab News in an interview, stressing that Pakistan’s ties with Saudi Arabia were rooted in a “deep-rooted, historical and unbreakable bond.”
He said Pakistan’s commitment extended to protecting Makkah and Madinah, Islam’s two holiest cities.
“We are there to protect Haramain Sharifain,” Chaudhry said, adding that Pakistan would go to whatever extent was required to protect the kingdom.
“There should be no doubt on that,” he said.
The remarks came as Saudi Arabia faces an escalation in cross-border attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, with the fighting raising concerns about the security of the kingdom and vital energy and shipping infrastructure.
Saudi authorities said debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident and injured two people in the western city of Taif on Thursday. The incident was the first reported civilian death in Saudi Arabia since the latest escalation in Houthi attacks.
The latest fighting has added to wider disruption across the region, including threats to major energy and shipping routes. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have exchanged attacks as the conflict has spread beyond Yemen, while tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have also placed global oil supplies under pressure.
Chaudhry said Pakistan was simultaneously pursuing diplomatic efforts aimed at containing the regional conflict and securing a negotiated settlement.
He said Islamabad was in contact with regional countries and partners as part of efforts to achieve “a negotiated and peaceful outcome” to the crisis.
Pakistan has increasingly positioned itself as a diplomatic intermediary in the wider Middle East conflict following the escalation of hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Chaudhry described the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding reached between Washington and Tehran in June as a “consensus document” and said it represented a viable pathway toward resolving the regional crisis.
Pakistan has also maintained close security ties with Saudi Arabia under its bilateral defence arrangements and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The Pakistani government has stressed that the Makkah agreement is defensive in nature and is intended to strengthen cooperation and collective deterrence rather than target any particular country.
The renewed Pakistani pledge comes as Riyadh confronts a widening security challenge from attacks linked to the Yemen conflict, while Islamabad seeks to balance its defence commitments to Saudi Arabia with diplomatic efforts to prevent the broader regional war from expanding.