After Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, PM Shehbaz reaffirms Pakistan's support for kingdom's security

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan “strongly condemns the blatant attacks” against Saudi Arabia the previous night, reaffirming Islamabad’s unwavering support for the kingdom’s security.

The premier’s condemnation in an X post did not further specify the attacks. But, his statement came after Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it had intercepted ballistic missiles fired at the country’s south by Houthis.

“Such reprehensible actions constitute a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and have the potential to further undermine regional peace and stability,” PM Shehbaz warned.

He said Pakistan “reaffirms its unwavering support for the kingdom’s security and stands in complete solidarity with the brotherly kingdom of Saudi Arabia at this critical time”.

“On its part, Pakistan will continue to support all sincere efforts aimed at promoting peace, stability, security, and mutual understanding across the region,” he added.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have maintained close defence and security ties for decades, and their cooperation has remained an important element of Islamabad’s regional diplomacy.

In September 2025, the two countries signed a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” in Riyadh, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.

On Monday, Pakistan backed Saudi Arabia at an emergency UN Security Council briefing on Yemen as well, calling for all parties concerned to resolve differences through dialogue and diplomacy.

Pakistan’s statement at the Security Council was focused on three issues: support for Saudi Arabia’s security, respect for Yemen’s sovereignty, and the need for an inclusive political settlement to end the conflict in Yemen.

Latest flare-up in Yemen

Yemen has been gripped by conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the beleaguered government the following year.

In the latest flare-up in the conflict, the Yemeni government on Monday attacked the international airport in the capital, Sanaa.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government said it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in Sanaa after it failed to convince a Houthi delegation, which went to Tehran for assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral, to board a flight of Yemen’s flag carrier instead.

Hours after the airport attack, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted ballistic missiles fired at the country’s south by Houthis.

Monday’s flare-up was the biggest between the Yemeni government and the Houthis in years, with the latter blaming Saudi Arabia for threatening to unravel a UN-negotiated truce that has been holding since 2022.

Speaking at the UNSC briefing, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, strongly condemned the ballistic missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and expressed Islamabad’s solidarity with the kingdom.