Boots, jets and a new alliance: Pakistan joins Riyadh’s war on Iran’s allies

Pakistan has stationed fighter jets, drones, an air defence system and thousands of soldiers in Saudi Arabia. On 5 October, at an emergency meeting in Riyadh, it joined Saudi Arabia and Turkey in agreeing to put their collective defence commitments into practice at once, and to ensure the rapid deployment of agreed forces in the kingdom, as Saudi Arabia backs an offensive against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis. Islamabad calls the mission defensive, but its defence minister has since confirmed that Pakistani forces are already supporting the Saudi campaign.

The build-up began in April. On 11 April, as American and Iranian delegations opened their first direct talks since 1979 in Islamabad, Saudi Arabia announced that Pakistani fighter jets had landed at King Abdulaziz Air Base. They flew in after Iranian strikes hit Saudi energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national.

Islamabad has not disclosed the size of its deployment, but unofficial reports have put it at about 8,000 troops, a squadron of around 16 aircraft (mostly JF-17 fighters) and a Chinese HQ-9 air defence system before the 5 October meeting. Some more recent reports place the number of troops far higher, at around 40,000. Another report added two squadrons of drones. Riyadh pays for the deployment and Pakistani personnel operate the equipment. Islamabad has not said how many troops are in the kingdom, and the information ministry calls the details confidential.

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On paper, the newest arrivals are trainers and advisers. However, the deployment is increasingly being described as something closer to a combat-capable force. One source who had seen the confidential defence pact the two countries signed in September 2025 said it allows up to 80,000 Pakistani troops on Saudi soil. Two others said it also covers warships.