ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif celebrated Pakistan’s deepening strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia in a National Day message on Wednesday, reaffirming their defence commitments as the Kingdom faces renewed Houthi attacks.

The Houthis, an Iran-aligned armed group that controls much of northern Yemen, have recently launched missiles and drones toward Saudi cities and infrastructure during a renewed escalation of the conflict in Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition also said it intercepted a drone approaching restricted airspace near Makkah, which houses Islam’s holiest site. The Houthis have denied targeting the city. 

The renewed Saudi-Houthi confrontation has become another front in the wider war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Fighting near Yemen’s Red Sea coast has also threatened a shipping route important to Saudi oil exports, already under pressure from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. 

The widening conflict has brought Pakistan’s defence commitments to Saudi Arabia into sharper focus. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, pledging to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all three. Islamabad and Riyadh signed a separate bilateral mutual defence agreement in September 2025. The full operational provisions of the agreements have not been made public.

“Pakistan stands unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder, with the Kingdom in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and the sanctity of Islam’s holiest sites,” Sharif said in his Saudi National Day message.

He condemned the recent Houthi attacks, singling out what he called an attempted drone attack on Makkah. The Saudi-led coalition said the drone was intercepted before it entered restricted airspace while the Houthis have disputed the coalition’s account. 

Sharif also described Pakistan’s longstanding relationship with Saudi Arabia as an increasingly strong strategic partnership, citing the two defence agreements. His statement did not announce a new deployment or specify whether Riyadh had requested military assistance or what action Pakistan might take. 

“Today, under the patronage of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, this brotherhood is growing into an even stronger strategic partnership, underpinned by our shared commitment to peace, security and the unity of the Muslim Ummah. Together, we have proudly signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” Sharif said in his message.

His remarks followed a meeting on Tuesday at the United Nations in which the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt affirmed Riyadh’s right to defend itself under international law while calling for a diplomatic resolution to the wider regional crisis.