Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday strongly condemned an “attempted drone attack” near the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia and called on all parties to pursue dialogue and avoid further escalation.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the dastardly and heinous attempted drone attack against the Holy Site of Makkah Al-Mukarramah,” Sharif said in a post on X.
Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered restricted airspace near Mecca, according to the Saudi-led coalition. The Houthis in Yemen, whom Saudi Arabia blamed for launching the drone, denied responsibility.
Sharif calls for restraint
The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen war, Turki al-Malki, said the drone was intercepted at about 6:50 pm local time Tuesday (1550 GMT), with its debris falling south of Mecca.
Sharif urged “all parties” to exercise maximum restraint and step back from further escalation.
“Our region has already suffered far too much from conflict. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only sustainable path towards peace,” he said.
The Pakistani prime minister also praised Saudi forces for what he called their vigilance and professionalism, reaffirming Islamabad’s support for Saudi sovereignty and the security of Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.
Closer Pakistan-Saudi defence ties
The incident comes as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia deepen their defence cooperation.
The two countries signed a mutual defence agreement last year, followed by a trilateral defence pact involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in Mecca in August.
Sharif said Pakistan stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Saudi Arabia in defending its sovereignty and the sanctity of the two holy cities.
