islamabad —
As Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to carry out cross-border attacks, including a deadly raid on an airport, Pakistan, a key ally of Saudi Arabia, confirmed it is keeping troops in the Gulf kingdom.
“Pakistani forces are already there, and I can share that with you,” Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told CNN in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, but he declined to say how many there are or what their capabilities are, saying the details are confidential.
The confirmation from Chaudhry, head of Pakistan’s military media wing, came days after the two countries and Turkey agreed to rapid deployment of troops as part of a new mutual defense treaty.
Over the past two days, Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport near the Yemeni border and King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh, killing three people, Saudi officials said.
The attack highlights the growing influence of the conflict on Saudi territory as Riyadh deepens its support for the Yemeni government’s military operations.
The targeting of the airport prompted the US mission in Saudi Arabia to issue an updated security alert, warning Americans that the conflict “could escalate”.
The Iranian-backed Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have been at war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Saudi-led coalition since 2015.
The conflict escalated in July, shortly after the US-Iran ceasefire ended, with the Houthis launching missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers in an escalation of the Middle East war. Riyadh responded with airstrikes in support of Yemeni government forces.
In recent days, Yemeni government forces have insisted on advancing near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a strategic point on Yemen’s Red Sea coast that the Houthis claimed control last month. The Houthis responded with missile and drone attacks against targets inside Saudi Arabia.
The escalation coincides with Saudi efforts to strengthen defense cooperation with regional military power Turkey, NATO member states and nuclear-armed Pakistan. The three countries recently signed an agreement that includes NATO-style collective defense provisions, often referred to as the Mecca Alliance.
The deployment of Pakistani troops “didn’t come out of a vacuum,” Chaudhry, director of the U.S. Office of Inter-Services Public Affairs, told CNN. He said Pakistan has had a military presence in Saudi Arabia for decades.
Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security is “absolute”, Chaudhry said. He described the alliance as a collective defense mechanism in which an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all.
However, he did not say whether Pakistan’s military would be involved in operations across the Yemeni border. “Every time there is a military conflict, none of the participating countries begins to clarify where and how they will commit their forces,” he said, adding that any involvement would be “defensive in nature.”
Pakistani general says Mecca alliance operation will be ‘purely defensive’
“The purpose of this alliance is not to start labeling them enemies, foes, enemies, friends, friends, friends. The purpose is to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… It will definitely be achieved,” Chaudhry said.
In a joint statement after an emergency meeting in Riyadh on Monday, the three countries said they would act immediately to fulfill their collective defense commitments and ensure the rapid deployment of troops and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.
Chowdhury said collective security agreements also act as a deterrent.
Mecca alliance will act as ‘collective deterrence’, Pakistani general tells CNN
“People who have interesting ideas for others will think twice, thrice, or even multiple times if they can before acting on them. That will prevent something terrible from happening.”
Nevertheless, defending the Saudis is a complex calculation for Pakistan, which has played a key role in mediating between neighboring Iran and the US, a backer of the Houthis, since the US and Israel began their war with Iran.
In 2015, Pakistan’s parliament voted against sending troops to support Saudi Arabia in the initial fight against the Houthis in Yemen.
Chaudhry said Pakistan still seeks a deal to end the US-Iran war.
“We have been, are and will continue to do everything possible and necessary to reduce our differences and reach a negotiated peaceful outcome. We hope that this conflict will not escalate.”
The Houthi-controlled military said on Wednesday it fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh’s King Khalid Airport, an attack that Saudi authorities said killed one Sudanese resident and wounded eight others.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki later said Saudi forces had destroyed the ballistic missile launcher used in the attack on Riyadh, adding that preparations were underway for “another imminent attack.”
Two female residents, one Moroccan and one Algerian, were killed and 28 others injured in Tuesday’s attack on Abha International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Aviation said. The Houthis claimed responsibility for both attacks.
This week, Houthi fighters also used ballistic missiles to target Aden’s international airport, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a key transportation hub to areas outside Houthi control.
Yemen’s Transport Ministry said on Wednesday that a Yemeni Airlines flight from Cairo was scheduled to land when a missile hit near the airport’s runway, forcing it to divert to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The attack came as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces carry out Operation Dawn of Yemen, a major offensive aimed at rolling back recent Houthi gains.
Last month, the Houthis seized effective control of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway for global oil trade, after claiming key positions in Yemen along the Red Sea coast. But in recent days, Yemeni forces have claimed to have retaken some of these positions.
Hostilities are showing signs of extending beyond Yemen’s battlefields, posing an increasing challenge to Saudi Arabia’s security and transportation networks, as civilian infrastructure comes under renewed attack.
