A Pakistani military contingent has arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province under a joint defence agreement and at a time of risk of renewed Iranian drone and missile strikes.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that the deployment to King Abdulaziz Air Base includes fighter jets and support aircraft from the Pakistan Air Force.
The two countries signed a strategic defence agreement last year, with the aim of strengthening military co-ordination and raising the operational readiness of their armed forces.
This co-operation between both countries includes joint deployments, intelligence sharing and co-ordinated responses to regional threats.
In January 2026, Pakistan ordered F-16 fighter aircraft to the King Abdulaziz Air Base for a multinational air combat exercise called Spears of Victory-2026, which involved Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Italy, Greece, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the UK and the US.
The military co-operation between both countries dates to the 1960s, with Pakistan helping in training of Saudi pilots, and its fighter jets stationed in the kingdom at crucial periods of its history.
The move comes at a time when US and Iranian officials are in Islamabad, discussing the highly volatile ceasefire agreement after weeks of war marked by Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
