Ministry dismisses claims of PAF jets damaged in Houthi attack on Saudi base

The Ministry of Information has rejected as “absolutely fake” social media claims that three Pakistan Air Force (PAF) JF-17 fighter jets were damaged in a Houthi attack on a Saudi military base.

The ministry’s fact-checking account on X said that false posts were circulating about an alleged missile strike on King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The posts claimed that three Pakistani fighter jets had been damaged and later evacuated from the base.

The ministry shared a screenshot of one of the posts and marked it as “fake”. “This is absolutely fake. No credible or official source has also reported any sort of damage to PAF JF-17s,” it said.

Tweet by Fact Checker MoIB

The ministry further described the claims about damage to Pakistani aircraft and their alleged evacuation as a deliberate attempt to spread what it called “Indian propaganda”.

The claims come amid heightened Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Recent Houthi attacks on the kingdom have been reported separately, including strikes targeting Saudi military and other sites. However, there has been no credible confirmation of damage to Pakistani aircraft at King Abdulaziz Air Base.

Pakistan deployed a military contingent, including fighter and support aircraft, to King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran in April under a bilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. The deployment was intended to strengthen the kingdom’s security.