Pakistan sends fighter jets to Saudi Arabia under defence pact
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said in a statement that Pakistani fighter jets and support aircraft had arrived at the King Abdulaziz Air Base.
Pakistan has sent fighter jets and other military forces to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a defence pact between the two countries, the Saudi defence ministry said, as Islamabad hosted talks aimed at ending the Iran war.
The deployment on Saturday follows a wave of Iranian talks on the Gulf kingdom over the past weeks that struck key energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national.
Riyadh and Islamabad signed a mutual defence pact in September 2025, committing both sides to treat any aggression against either country as an attack on both. That significantly deepened a decades-old security partnership.
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said in a statement that Pakistani fighter jets and support aircraft had arrived at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in the country's eastern province.
It said the Pakistani deployment aimed to strengthen joint defence cooperation and support regional and international security and stability.
Pakistan has long provided military support to the kingdom, including training and advisory deployments, while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly stepped in to support Pakistan financially during periods of economic stress.
Saudi Arabia's finance minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, was in Pakistan on Friday to demonstrate economic support for the country, a source familiar with the situation said.
In 2018, Riyadh announced a $6 billion support package for Pakistan, including a $3 billion deposit at the central bank and $3 billion worth of oil supplies on deferred payment.