Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad was prepared to fulfill its obligations under the Mecca Agreement as Saudi Arabia battles Ansar Allah in Yemen.
The “Mecca Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfill our duty,” Asif said on Wednesday without going into details about what kind of support Islamabad was preparing to provide to Saudi Arabia.
While Saudi Arabia went to war against Ansar Allah long before the Mecca Agreement was signed last month, Asif said that an alleged drone attack on the holy city of Mecca is cause for Pakistan to act. “If Mecca is attacked, there is no need for an agreement to protect it,” Asif said.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia claimed to have downed a drone fired by Ansar Allah the day before that was headed toward Mecca. Ansar Allah has firmly rejected the accusation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif restated Pakistan’s support, saying the country stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Saudi Arabia.
The fighting between Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia reignited in July after the kingdom attacked the Sanaa airport. In recent weeks, Ansar Allah has taken a significant amount of territory from the Saudi-backed forces in Yemen and attacked several energy sites in Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh has reached out to international partners for support. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman requested that President Donald Trump order direct attacks on Ansar Allah positions. However, after a meeting between American and Ansar Allah representatives in Oman last week, Trump informed MBS he would only provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence support.
Saudi Arabia has also asked China and Pakistan to place pressure on Iran to rein in Ansar Allah. According to three Iranian sources speaking with Reuters, Beijing privately asked Tehran to rein in Ansar Allah after receiving a request from Riyadh. The sources told the outlet that Iran responded that stability in the region depended on US and Israeli aggression.
In public statements, China has called for stability. “China does not wish to see regional tensions further spill over into Yemen and the Red Sea. Escalating regional instability is not in the interests of any party,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry told Reuters. “The sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected, and facilities vital to people’s livelihoods must not be targeted. China calls for an end to actions that further complicate the situation and urges resolving issues through dialogue and negotiation.”
Asif said Islamabad also relayed a message from Riyadh to Tehran asking Iran to rein in Ansar Allah. However, the Pakistani Defense Minister downplayed the Iranian role in the ongoing war between Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia. “I don’t think Iran as a state will open another front,” he said.
While Saudi Arabia’s ties to the US and Ansar Allah’s relationship with Tehran allow the war between the two to appear to be a part of a larger regional war, the conflict began over a decade ago. Additionally, Ansar Allah did not begin its offensive following the US and Israeli surprise attack on Iran, but rather after Saudi-backed forces attacked the Sanaa airport, prompting Ansar Allah to resume attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Western officials and media often label Ansar Allah as a proxy of Iran. However, no evidence shows that Ansar Allah takes orders from or receives significant support from Tehran.
