Pakistan will support Saudi Arabia “practically and diplomatically” if Yemen conflict escalates, says Defence Minister Khawaja Asif

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday that Pakistan would support Saudi Arabia both practically and diplomatically if the conflict involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels escalates.

Earlier, the Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis of targeting the holy city of Makkah, prompting widespread condemnation across the Muslim world. The Houthis denied the allegation, calling Riyadh’s claim a “lie.”

Speaking on a private news channel, Asif said Pakistan would stand with Saudi Arabia if the situation worsened.

Discussing the Pakistan-Turkiye-Saudi Arabia trilateral defence agreement, he confirmed that the agreement was in place.

He added that even without such an agreement, Pakistan had an “eternal agreement” to respond if the holy sites came under attack.

Asif said protecting the holy sites in Makkah and Medina was a religious responsibility and did not depend on the activation of any formal agreement. He added that Pakistan would fulfil its commitments under the trilateral agreement according to its terms.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said there was “absolutely no ambiguity” regarding Pakistan’s commitments under the trilateral agreement. Asked about possible military or political contact with the Houthis, he declined to provide details, saying such strategies were not meant to be disclosed publicly.

He reiterated that under the agreement, if a member country’s territorial integrity is threatened, the other two countries would be required to take action in its defence. According to Asif, the current situation meets that condition.

Discussing the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Asif said it had become apparent after a month of fighting that Israel had not achieved the results it had anticipated. He accused Israel of drawing the United States directly into the conflict and said regional countries needed to recognise what he described as Israel’s role in destabilising the region.

Asif also shared his personal assessment that Iran was unlikely to directly support the Houthis, as Tehran was already involved in another regional conflict. He said such involvement could amount to a diplomatic miscalculation and risk expanding the conflict into another theatre.

Meanwhile, renewed fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s government has drawn Saudi Arabia further into the conflict. The Houthis have announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and attacked vessels in the Red Sea.

The latest offensive has also reportedly given the group control over Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping route linked to Saudi oil exports, as the wider regional conflict continues to disrupt traffic through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.