ISLAMABAD: The Regional Four or R4 Group of countries comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Türkiye on Sunday condemned the recent Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, calling for an immediate and unconditional halt to attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The statement comes in response to a Houthi missile attack at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, which killed 12 people and injured over 300 others, including six Pakistanis.

A fire broke out at the airport on Sunday after an unidentified projectile struck a passenger terminal, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen reported.

The R4 comprises Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The alliance emerged in March following the outbreak of the Iran war, as a forum for the four countries to consult on the conflict and wider regional security concerns.

“The Group holds the Houthi militia fully accountable for the results of these attacks and any repercussions that come with it that threaten regional and international peace and security, and demands the immediate and unconditional halt of these attacks,” a joint statement by the group, shared by Pakistan’s foreign office, said.

The group noted that the recent attacks led to civilian deaths, injuries, as well as damage to civilian infrastructure and facilities, which constitute a blatant violation of international law.

It described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” that cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext.

“The Group further reaffirms its solidarity with and support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including its full support for all legitimate measures and steps it takes to counter these attacks, deter the sources of their threats, and prevent their recurrence, in defense of the Kingdom’s security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and in protection of the safety of its citizens and residents, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” the statement said.

PAKISTAN SAYS WON’T TOLERATE AGGRESSION

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned the attacks in televised remarks, warning that Islamabad won’t tolerate aggression against the Kingdom.

“We have a bilateral agreement, a trilateral agreement with regard to defense [of Saudi Arabia],” Sharif said during a cabinet meeting. “And Pakistan will not tolerate any kind of aggression. Our agreements demand it, and so do our bonds of brotherhood.”

He expressed solidarity with the Kingdom and said Pakistan will cooperate with Saudi Arabia “in every possible way.”

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed a landmark trilateral defense agreement in August this year. The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement stipulates that an attack against any of the three states will be considered an attack against all three.

Pakistan also signed a bilateral defense pact with the Kingdom in September 2025, formalizing decades of security cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan has repeatedly vowed to defend the Kingdom against external aggression and protect the Two Holy Mosques if the situation demanded it.