ISLAMABAD: Pakistan stands with Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its security and territorial integrity, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday, amid increasing attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels against the Kingdom’s energy and aviation facilities.

Saudi Arabia has faced a barrage of attacks on its civilian infrastructure, particularly airports, this month from the Yemen-based Houthi rebels. A missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi movement hit a building owned by Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco in Dhahran this week. The attack came days after at least 12 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in an attack on Riyadh’s international airport by the rebels on Saturday.

Sharif met Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador, Dr. Rajeh Tami Albugamy, at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Islamabad. Sharif congratulated Albugamy on assuming charge of his new role, noting that Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations had witnessed remarkable progress in recent years.

“The prime minister reaffirmed that Pakistan stood shoulder to shoulder with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” the PMO said.

Sharif condemned the recent Houthi attacks against the Kingdom, pointing out that the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) and Makkah Joint Defense Agreement (MJDA) involving the two nations reflected their shared commitment to regional peace and security.

Pakistan signed the SMDA, a bilateral defense pact, with Saudi Arabia in September last year. It signed the MJDA, a trilateral defense pact that also involves Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, in August amid heightened regional tensions. The trilateral defense pact stipulates that an attack against any of these three countries will be considered an attack against all of them.

Sharif thanked the Saudi leadership for their longstanding financial and economic support to Pakistan. He wished Albugamy success in his role as ambassador and assured him of Pakistan’s full support and cooperation in strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have maintained longstanding political, economic and military ties, with Riyadh providing financial support to Islamabad during periods of economic difficulty and pledging billions of dollars in investment.