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Pakistan, which signed a joint defense agreement with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, confirmed on Friday that its forces are deployed in the Kingdom in light of the escalating conflict with the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis, stressing that their mission is exclusively defensive.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told reporters: "We already have significant numbers of troops and resources from Pakistan currently present in Riyadh."
He added that the Pakistani military personnel in the Kingdom: "Will not cross the border to the other side to attack the Houthis, but they are, of course, defending the Kingdom's territory."
Defense cooperation between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan has entered the practical implementation phase, amid escalating security challenges and military movements in the region, coinciding with the progress of Yemeni government forces on the West Coast and their control of strategic positions near Bab al-Mandab and Mocha.
These developments come within the framework of the "Makkah Joint Defense Agreement" signed on August 7, which stipulates that any aggression against one of the three countries is considered an aggression against all of them. In this context, the Political and Strategic Committee for Joint Defense discussed, during an emergency meeting in Riyadh, mechanisms for activating defense commitments, accelerating the deployment of forces and military capabilities, and enhancing readiness and integration among the three countries, amidst continuous attacks on Saudi territory and its civilian and economic facilities.
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