Pakistan deploys jet squadron, thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia during Iran war

The deployment was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources

Local residents examine damage at the site of a bomb explosion at a market in Sarai Norag in Lakki Marwat, a district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. (AP Photo/Farhat Ullah)

Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a ​squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with ‌Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war.

The deployment, the full scale of which is reported on Reuters for the first time, was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources, all of whom described it as a substantial, combat-capable force intended to support Saudi Arabia's military if the kingdom comes under further attack.