RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said this week Islamabad is committed to defending Saudi Arabia, stressing that it is not part of the “intra-Yemen conflict” amid surging tensions in the region.

His statement comes amid weeks of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia’s cities, airports and energy infrastructure. The attacks have continued this week, with the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen saying on Friday it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Saudi Arabia’s southern region, and a drone over Riyadh.

Pakistan signed a bilateral defense pact with Saudi Arabia in September 2025 and another trilateral one in August this year, which also involves Türkiye. The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement stipulates that an attack against any of the three nations will be considered an attack against them all.

“We are committed, as per our obligations, as per our relationship, as per our aspirations also, to the defense of Saudi Arabia, of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Two Holy Mosques,” Chaudhry told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

Asked whether more Pakistani troops were being sent to Saudi Arabia under the agreement, Chaudhry said that would depend on the situation and the decision of both countries’ political leadership.

“So, our role there is for the defense of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are not part of this Yemeni conflict, which is an intra-Yemen conflict,” he added.

Chaudhry was referring to intensifying fighting between the Houthi militia and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the country, particularly around Taiz and along the country’s western coast.

The fighting has forced more than 281,000 people from their homes in Yemen since August, according to UN figures released on Wednesday. Humanitarian conditions have deteriorated sharply in Taiz, where Houthi restrictions and fighting have blocked vital supply routes, severely limiting access to food, fuel, water and medical supplies.

’CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC’

Separately, Chaudhry said Pakistan’s military is “cautiously optimistic” about its mediation between Iran and the US, days after Pakistan’s military chief visited Tehran with a high-level delegation.

Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir — Pakistan’s chief mediator in its efforts to ‌de-escalate the now eight-month-old Iran war — has been to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday alongside Saudi and Turkish officials.

“Why would the field marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course,” Chaudhry said when asked whether the trips were a positive sign.

“The word ​that we would use is always cautiously optimistic.”

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief ​Ibrahim Kalin joined Munir in Tehran on Monday.

The military spokesperson declined to say what was discussed or whether the US had backed the trip. There were still “powerful spoilers and detractors,” who believed ​conflict serves them, he added without naming them.

Pakistan has actively mediated between the US and Iran since their conflict broke out in February this year. Islamabad hosted the first round of direct talks between both sides in April this year and brokered an interim peace deal in June.

However, the deal collapsed in July after the US accused Iran of firing at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has denied. Tensions persist, with renewed fears of the US launching a fresh attack against Iran.

With additional input from Reuters