Pakistan, Türkiye Supporting Saudi Arabia Against Houthis, Khawaja Asif Says

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan and Türkiye are providing military support to Saudi Arabia amid its operations against the Houthis in Yemen, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has confirmed, while stressing that Saudi forces remain responsible for direct combat.

Asif said Pakistani and Turkish forces have a presence in the kingdom and are assisting Saudi Arabia in areas including reconnaissance and other support activities.

He made clear that Pakistani and Turkish personnel are not currently carrying out the ground combat role against the Houthis.

Saudi forces are engaged in the fighting and are seeking to recapture territory lost during the recent escalation in Yemen.

Asif said Houthi forces have withdrawn from several areas they captured last month and described Yemen’s internationally recognised government as currently holding an advantage in the fighting.

His comments provide further detail about Pakistan’s role as Islamabad, Riyadh and Ankara deepen defence cooperation following a sharp escalation in attacks against Saudi Arabia.

The three countries have agreed to rapidly deploy agreed military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia under their collective defence arrangements.

The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh.

Pakistan’s senior delegation at the meeting included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

The meeting also approved retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the first secretary-general of the Makkah defence framework for a three-year term.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed their trilateral defence agreement on August 7.

The pact establishes a collective security framework under which an armed attack against one of the three participating states is treated as an attack against all three.

The latest measures come amid renewed fighting in Yemen and a series of missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi territory and infrastructure.

The Saudi-led coalition has simultaneously intensified operations against Houthi military capabilities.

Coalition forces said this week that they destroyed a ballistic missile storage facility containing 20 missiles in Yemen’s Saada province as well as a separate missile launch platform in Sanaa.

Military activity has also increased around Yemen’s Red Sea coast, where control of strategic areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has become increasingly important.

The conflict carries broader economic implications because Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a critical route for international energy and commercial shipping.

Pakistan has repeatedly expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security while also calling for regional peace and stability.

The latest statements nevertheless mark a significant clarification of Pakistan’s operational role, confirming that Pakistani personnel are providing military support while distinguishing that assistance from direct Saudi combat operations against Houthi forces.