- Pakistan demands immediate, unconditional halt to attacks on kingdom.
- Islamabad backs all steps to protect Saudi sovereignty, territorial integrity.
- Houthis step up attacks on Saudi airports, ports, energy facilities, Reuters reports.
Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned the Houthi attack targeting a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Riyadh, demanding that the Iran-backed Yemeni group immediately and unconditionally stop all hostilities against the Kingdom.
The Foreign Office’s statement came a day after Saudi Arabia reported that the administrative building of state-owned oil giant Aramco had been targeted in an attempted attack, with falling shrapnel causing minor damage but no casualties.
Although Saudi authorities did not initially attribute the incident to the Houthis, the group claimed responsibility for the attack, which came amid a sharp escalation in hostilities between the two sides.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the attempted attack by the Houthis on a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Riyadh,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement. “Fortunately, no casualties were reported.”
The Foreign Office warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure reflected a “reckless disregard for human life and regional security,” calling on the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally cease all attacks against Saudi Arabia.
Reaffirming Islamabad’s support for Riyadh, the statement said Pakistan stood with the Saudi leadership and people and backed all measures necessary to protect the Kingdom’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The security of Saudi Arabia is of paramount importance to Pakistan,” the foreign office said. “Our commitment to the safety and well-being of our Saudi brothers and sisters remains steadfast.”
Economic and security implications
The attack on KAFD carries significance beyond the damage to an administrative building, given the district’s importance to Saudi Arabia’s financial sector and its ambitious economic diversification drive.
Targeting an area housing major financial institutions, international companies and residential facilities would mark a significant escalation in the Houthis’ campaign against the Kingdom.
“I see this as an attack on the credibility of Vision 2030 as much as on Aramco itself,” Andreas Krieg of London-based risk consultancy MENA Analytica told AFP, referencing Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification plan.
“It raises the political costs of Saudi Arabia’s Yemen campaign, strengthens those demanding military escalation and undermines the argument that Riyadh can restore deterrence through airpower. The Houthis are making Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation hostage to an increasingly unwinnable war.”
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry confirmed the incident in a statement, saying that “an administrative building belonging to Saudi Aramco in Riyadh was subjected to an attempted attack today”.
“The incident resulted in falling shrapnel that caused minor damage to the building, with no injuries or fatalities reported, thankfully.”
AFP said it was unable to independently confirm the extent of the damage. Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has repeatedly warned residents against filming or publishing images of drones, missiles, air defence interceptors and impact sites.
The latest incident came hours after the Kingdom’s Education Ministry announced the resumption of in-person classes following weeks of remote learning in Riyadh in the wake of an earlier wave of attacks.
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a social media post on Sunday morning that “air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorist militia towards Riyadh”, as loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital.
The Kingdom has been seeking greater assistance from its allies as it faces repeated Houthi attacks. Britain announced in October that it would deploy fighter jets on defensive missions to help protect Saudi cities from aerial attacks.
Meanwhile, multiple Yemeni officials told AFP on Saturday that thousands of Syrian troops were expected to deploy to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, with some already on the ground. Syria’s official SANA news agency subsequently quoted a diplomatic source as denying that Damascus had sent troops to Yemen “at this time”.
The renewed fighting has further complicated an already protracted conflict in Yemen. The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since hostilities resumed.
Pakistan-Saudi defence ties
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have significantly strengthened their defence cooperation in recent years, signing a bilateral defence agreement in September 2025.
In August 2026, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye also signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), establishing a trilateral security arrangement.
The agreement stipulates that an attack against any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all three, underscoring their commitment to collective defence and regional security.
— With additional input from Reuters and AFP.
