Pakistan says it is ready to support Saudi Arabia in case of escalation in Yemen
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the country would support Saudi Arabia practically and diplomatically if the conflict with Yemen’s Houthis escalates. He said this on Geo News, Dawn reports.
The statement came after the Saudi Arabia-led coalition accused the Houthis of attempting to attack the Muslim holy city of Mecca with a drone. The Houthis rejected Riyadh’s report, calling it false.
Defense pact
Asif referred to a trilateral agreement between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia known as the Mecca Defense Alliance. According to him, Pakistan will fulfill all obligations stipulated by the agreement between the three countries.
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The minister also said that protecting holy sites in Mecca and Medina is a religious duty of Muslims regardless of formal agreements. He added that if the territorial integrity of one of the pact’s member states is threatened, the pact must be activated and the other two countries will act to defend it. Asif did not disclose details of possible military or political contacts with the Houthis.
Fighting in Yemen
According to the outlet, hostilities between the Houthis and the Yemeni government have drawn Saudi Arabia into the confrontation. The Houthis declared a naval blockade of the kingdom and attacked its vessels in the Red Sea. Last week, the group took control of the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is important for Saudi oil exports.
Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Defense Alliance on August 7, 2026. At the first meeting in Istanbul on August 31, it was decided that Pakistan would head the alliance’s secretariat for the first three years.
