Asif warns Makkah defence pact could become operational after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Asif warns Makkah defence pact could become operational after Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Key points

• News Desk Published September 9, 2026 Updated September 9, 2026 01: 47pm.
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had condemned the Houthi attack and assured Saudi Arabia of Pakistan's "unwavering solidarity".
• The development comes as Yemen's Houthi rebels introduced attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, injuring 73 residents.
• As well as the Jubah district, east of the capital Sanaa, in response, Saudi Arabia retaliated with strikes on Taiz and Marib provinces.
• Asked if Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had been in contact after the attacks, Asif stated he was not aware of any engagement.

News Desk Published September 9, 2026 Updated September 9, 2026 01: 47pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has cautioned that the tripartite Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye could become operational if there was a "spillover" of the conflict in Yemen into Riyadh.

In practice, the development comes as Yemen's Houthi rebels introduced attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, injuring 73 residents.

Meanwhile, the defence pact, signed on Aug 7, intends to strengthen collective deterrence and empower its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them.

On the Geo News show ' Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath ' on Tuesday night, host Shahzeb Khanzada mentioned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and asked Asif whether the strategic pact could be operationalised.

Asif answered in the affirmative, saying there was no "ambiguity" as the pact stipulated that aggression against one party was equivalent to aggression against all.

"This is a joint defence pact. And unprovoked aggression or spillover of whatever is happening in Yemen into Saudi Arabia, definitely, the pact will become operational; there should be no doubt in this, " he remarked.

"We are bound by the terms and conditions of this pact and we will honour them in case there is a need, " he remarked.

Asked if Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had been in contact after the attacks, Asif stated he was not aware of any engagement. Nevertheless, he reiterated that Pakistan "is bound to react under the pact because it is joint defence and collective help in case of aggression".

According to Asif further, the pact was not "aggressive in nature", adding: "If there is aggression against one member state, then all three member states will respond in kind."

For context, the defence czar continued, "This is a trilateral pact but even if it were bilateral, we would have responded."

Meanwhile, Asif expressed hope that the situation will "come under control and die down".

He additionally hoped that "the Houthis will realise that if they attempt to export their internal matters, then the clauses of this pact over confronting aggression will become operative".

"They should keep this in mind, " he remarked. According to Asif additionally, the Houthis were "non-state actors" and that Yemen's administration had responded to their attacks.

"There is sympathy for Iran around the Muslim world. There is no doubt regarding that, but exploitation of a bilateral dispute by non-state actors, I believe they are doing it at their own peril, " he stated.

According to Asif, the pact could serve as a deterrent and continued that three countries "did not need to respond to aggression with aggression", but held that the member states had established their respective strengths.

Notably, the defence minister continued that the conflict in Yemen had been ongoing since 2014, recalling a visit he produced to the country at the time in his capacity as the defence minister.

"At that time too, we helped Saudi Arabia, " he recalled, adding that Pakistan and Saudi's long-standing ties and the "sanctity" of the Gulf country's land "warrant that whenever there are testing times, we help them".

On the stalemate in negotiations between the United States and Iran, the defence minister voiced optimism that "all doors have not closed".

"I will not abandon hope that the process has concluded or that all doors have closed. There is a stalemate, but I will say the situation is better than that, " he said, adding there was "indirect engagement".

He observed that Pakistan walked a tightrope given its "brotherly relations" with countries on both sides of the conflict. Hoping that peace would prevail, Asif cautioned: "Israel will want that the conflict should continue and (Gulf) countries should be drained."

As the funding "was coming from overseas", he remarked Israel was not incurring any expenses in the war.

"In fact, I believe they are profiting off of it, " he remarked. He observed that residents in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon were paying the cost for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "lust for power". Nevertheless, he went on to note that there was a "silver lining".

"In the world over, especially Europe, North America, New Zealand, Latin America, there is a sea change in the opinions of people and people want to get rid of the Zionist lobby, " he remarked.

On Tuesday, the rebel group asserted attacks on four cities in the south of Saudi Arabia. It wounded more than 70 residents and set oil installations ablaze. The Houthis remarked they had fired dozens of ballistic missiles, hitting the southern cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran, including Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base, and facilities belonging to state oil giant Aramco.

As well as the Jubah district, east of the capital Sanaa, in response, Saudi Arabia retaliated with strikes on Taiz and Marib provinces. At the time, the Saudi foreign ministry remarked Riyadh would "take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty".

"Such dastardly attacks threaten innocent lives as well as regional peace and security. We reaffirm our steadfast backing for the kingdom's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and pray for the swift recovery of all those injured, " he stated in a post on X. The Foreign Office additionally issued a statement condemning the "reprehensible" attacks.

Taken together, the developments around asif warns Makkah defence pact could become operational after Houthi attacks on point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.