Pakistan Pledges ‘All Available Means’ to Defend Saudi Arabia as Houthi Attacks Test Makkah Defence Pact
By Sadaf Sundas Riaz — SCN News
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has declared that its military capabilities would be available to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks, giving the clearest indication yet that a new three-way defence pact with Riyadh and Türkiye could move from political commitment toward operational cooperation as the regional conflict intensifies.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad regarded the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia as aggression and would stand with the kingdom against threats from the Yemeni group, another state or any other armed organization. He said Pakistan was bound by its defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia and that whatever means were available to Islamabad would also be available to Riyadh, describing Pakistan's commitment as categorical.
“As far as Houthis are concerned, they are enemies of Saudi Arabia. Any enemy of Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Pakistan,” Asif said. His comments significantly sharpened Islamabad's public position at a time when repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks have increased pressure on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in August.
The agreement treats an armed attack on one of its three members as an attack on all, creating a collective-defence framework linking nuclear-armed Pakistan, NATO member Türkiye and Saudi Arabia. The countries have described the alliance as defensive and have said it is not directed against a particular state, but the escalating Saudi-Houthi confrontation has provided its first major test only weeks after it was established.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have already begun moving toward closer military coordination. Senior military commanders from the three countries met in Riyadh last week to discuss intelligence sharing, capability integration and responses to the deteriorating regional security environment, including attacks against Saudi territory and infrastructure. The alliance is also establishing institutional mechanisms intended to turn the political agreement into a functioning defence structure.
Asif's latest comments go further than simply reaffirming the pact because they place Pakistan's available capabilities explicitly behind Saudi security. He did not specify which military assets Islamabad could provide and declined to confirm whether Pakistani forces had already participated in operations against Houthi targets. He also did not say that Riyadh had formally requested Pakistani military intervention, leaving the practical extent of Islamabad's role unresolved.
The distinction is significant because direct Pakistani participation in combat operations would represent a major escalation from political backing and military coordination. Pakistan maintains one of the region's largest armed forces and possesses nuclear weapons, but Asif did not mention Pakistan's nuclear arsenal or suggest that nuclear capabilities formed part of the commitment to Saudi Arabia. His remarks focused on Pakistan's obligations under the new defence arrangement without defining the operational limits of those obligations.
The immediate pressure comes from a widening Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni group has launched missile and drone attacks against Saudi targets and expanded operations around the Red Sea, while Saudi authorities and their partners have strengthened defenses around strategic infrastructure. Houthi advances along Yemen's western coastline have also increased concerns over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical shipping corridor connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The confrontation has revived a difficult strategic question for Islamabad because Pakistan has close defence and economic ties with Saudi Arabia while sharing a long border and diplomatic relationship with Iran. Tehran has historically supported the Houthis with weapons and other assistance but rejects descriptions of the group as an Iranian-controlled proxy. Asif acknowledged that position and said armed organizations originally supported by states could develop independent agendas and become increasingly difficult for their sponsors to control.
Pakistan has consequently kept a second diplomatic track open even while strengthening its defence commitment to Riyadh. Islamabad has supported negotiations aimed at ending the broader regional conflict and has maintained communication with Tehran, seeking to preserve a mediating role rather than frame its Saudi commitment as confrontation with Iran. Pakistan earlier hosted direct U.S.-Iran talks and has continued advocating a negotiated settlement to the wider crisis.
That balancing strategy could become harder to maintain if Houthi attacks force the Makkah pact into active military use. Pakistan would then face pressure to demonstrate that the collective-defence guarantee carries practical consequences while simultaneously trying to prevent its commitment to Saudi Arabia from developing into direct confrontation with Iran or other Iran-aligned groups.
Saudi Arabia and Türkiye also give the alliance capabilities extending beyond Pakistan's contribution. Türkiye brings NATO military experience and a large defence industry, while Saudi Arabia provides extensive air capabilities and strategic infrastructure across the Gulf and Red Sea. The three governments have increasingly emphasized intelligence sharing and integrated military planning as they develop the alliance's command structure.
For Islamabad, Asif's statement establishes a clearer threshold than previous expressions of political solidarity. Pakistan is no longer describing Saudi security only as the concern of a close partner; its defence minister is publicly presenting threats against the kingdom as threats that engage Pakistan's own obligations under the new alliance.
What remains unanswered is how far that commitment will go if the Houthi campaign escalates further. Pakistan has put its available military capabilities on the table without confirming combat participation, while keeping diplomatic channels with Iran open. The next major attack on Saudi territory could determine whether the Makkah agreement remains primarily a deterrent or becomes an operational military alliance only weeks after its creation.