PM Shehbaz calls on Houthis to immediately cease attacks on Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday condemned repeated attacks by Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia, including strikes targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport.

In a post on X, the prime minister said the attacks had resulted in civilian casualties and injuries. He commended the Saudi armed forces and the coalition for intercepting multiple ballistic missiles and protecting civilians.

“Pakistan stands in unwavering solidarity with the leadership and people of our brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Shehbaz said.

He said Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security remained firm under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and recent decisions of its Strategic Political and Defence Committee.

The prime minister also expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s right to defend its people, cities and vital infrastructure.

“The Houthi militia must immediately cease these attacks,” he said, adding that Pakistan would continue to stand alongside Saudi Arabia in the face of the threats.

The development comes a day after Yemen’s Houthis escalated their campaign of strikes against Saudi Arabia, trying to shut down the kingdom’s airspace and oil facilities with missile fire that has killed three people this week.

The group said it had struck Riyadh airport, where witnesses saw smoke billowing from a plane, and it warned workers to stay away from energy plants. Saudi officials said debris from an intercepted missile had hit a kindergarten and medical complex.

The Houthis say they are targeting the kingdom over its support for government forces in Yemen’s reignited civil war. Saudi Arabia says it is backing an offensive by Yemen’s UN-recognised government to take back territory from the Houthis.

The conflict, now an overspill of the US-Iran war, has added new chaos to a region already aflame, and threatens to draw other states into gruelling mountain fighting — with Syria now considering deploying troops to assist Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom has pushed for support from allied nations, including Pakistan and Turkiye, even if only in a logistical or defensive capacity, as it tries to reverse Houthi gains in southwest Yemen, by the southern entrance to the Red Sea.