“Committed to the security of the Kingdom.” The Prime Minister of Pakistan comments after the Houthi attack on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh

On Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the Houthi attack in Yemen, which targeted King Khalid Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Saturday, stressing his country’s commitment to the Kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, based on the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Shahbaz Sharif previously wrote in a post on his official account on the “X” platform, Twitter: “I strongly condemn the heinous attack launched by the Houthi militia on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and we pray to God for a speedy and complete recovery for the injured. He added: “Attacks targeting civilians and vital infrastructure are completely unacceptable and constitute a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

These violent acts, which represent a flagrant violation of international law, must stop immediately,” he said. The Pakistani Prime Minister concluded his post by saying: “Pakistan stands steadfastly and in firm solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its leadership and its brotherly people.

Based on the Joint Defense Agreement for Makkah Al-Mukarramah, and the solid bonds of brotherhood that unite our two countries, we reaffirm our firm commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This came after at least 12 people were killed and hundreds injured, on Saturday, after the Yemeni Houthi group targeted an airport in the Saudi capital, as part of the Iranian-backed group’s escalation of its campaign against the Kingdom.

The "Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen" coalition said on Sunday that the attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was a "terrorist act." The coalition statement said, "The terrorist attack carried out by the Houthi militia on one of the passenger lounges at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and the resulting deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and airport workers, amounts to a full-fledged war crime according to international humanitarian law."

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which stipulates that any attack targeting any of them “is considered an attack against all of them.”