ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned an attempted Houthi drone attack on the holy city of Makkah as an “outrageous act,” saying Pakistanis were deeply perturbed by the incident and praising Saudi forces for intercepting the aircraft.

Saudi Arabia said its air defenses destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis south of Makkah on Tuesday evening before it could enter restricted airspace over Islam’s holiest city. A Saudi-led coalition in the region called the security of Makkah and other holy sites a “red line,” while the Houthis denied targeting the city or other religious sites.

“The people of Pakistan are saddened and perturbed by this outrageous act,” Sharif said in a post on X. “There can be no words strong enough to capture the depth of anguish and sorrow felt by us at this reprehensible and unforgivable act.”

“We salute the extraordinary vigilance, courage, and professionalism of the Royal Saudi Armed Forces, for their swift and heroic action,” he added.

The prime minister condemned the attempted attack “in the strongest possible terms,” describing it as “dastardly and heinous” and expressing Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Makkah is home to the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba, toward which Muslims around the world pray, and is the focal point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of Islam’s five pillars.

Sharif also urged all sides in the widening Middle East conflict to exercise “maximum restraint” and step back from further escalation.

“Our region has already suffered far too much from conflict,” he said. “Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only sustainable path towards peace.”

The attempted attack follows a series of Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks as fighting has intensified inside Yemen and along its Red Sea coast.

Thirteen civilians were injured in Houthi attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Monday, according to Saudi authorities, while more than 70 people were injured in attacks across the Kingdom last week.

The Houthis have also advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising concerns about commercial shipping and energy supplies already strained by disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Iran war.

A day earlier, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad condemned the broader Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and warned an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council that the escalation in Yemen had brought the conflict to an “extremely dangerous juncture.”

Ahmad said the attacks threatened “regional peace and stability with serious consequences for the global economy and energy security.”

He added Pakistan stood in “complete solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and supported its right under the UN Charter and international law to defend its territory, citizens and national assets.

“The Houthi military escalation inside Yemen, the continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the latest military developments along Yemen’s Red Sea coast have brought the conflict to an extremely dangerous juncture,” Ahmad said.

Yemen’s conflict had remained relatively contained since a UN-brokered truce in 2022 sharply reduced hostilities, but fighting has intensified in recent weeks.

Ahmad also described the expansion of Houthi attacks in and around Bab el-Mandeb as a “serious escalation,” warning that threats to the waterway could affect international trade, commercial shipping, global supply chains and energy security.