Saudi Arabia signs mutual defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the seventh country with the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, signed a mutual defense pact on Wednesday stating that "any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both," according to a statement from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry in Islamabad.

"This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression. The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both," the Pakistani prime minister's office said. 

Following the signing, Pakistani state television broadcast images of Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, hugging each other. Also present at the event was Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, considered the country's most powerful figure.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, strategic security allies for decades, signed this agreement amid high regional tensions, just a week after an Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas in Doha, the capital of Qatar, killed six people. According to multiple geopolitical experts, following the Israeli offensive, Middle Eastern countries no longer fully trust the United States as a security guarantor.

According to Reuters, Israel's attempt to eliminate Hamas political leaders through airstrikes in Doha - when they were debating a cease-fire proposal that Qatar was mediating on several fronts - enraged Arab countries.

However, a senior Saudi official told the news agency that the agreement came after years of discussions and that it is not related to recent one-off events.

"This agreement is a culmination of years of discussions. This is not a response to specific countries or specific events but an institutionalization of longstanding and deep cooperation between our two countries," the senior official said. He was also asked whether Pakistan would be obligated to offer Saudi Arabia a nuclear umbrella if attacked.

"This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means," the senior official replied.

The reaction of India, a key ally of Saudi Arabia, to the mutual defense agreement with Pakistan, a direct geopolitical rival, remains to be seen.