Pakistan Expands Saudi Military Support | 8,000 Troops, Jf-17 Squadron Deployed | 9PM News Headlines

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:04]As-salamu alaykum. I'm Aisha and you're watching Samaa News. Here are today's headlines.

[00:00:10]Pakistan has shared with the US a revised proposal from Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East as peace talks appear to remain stalled. A Pakistani source told Reuters that they don't have much time when asked if it would take time to close gaps, adding [music] that both countries keep changing their goal posts.

[00:00:30]Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that Tehran holds no hostility towards neighboring countries and that negotiations with the United States were continuing through Pakistani mediation.

[00:00:43]During a weekly news briefing, Baghaei has said that the United States and Israel posed a threat to the region and that regional countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates, should learn lessons from recent developments.

[00:00:55][music] He also said that Iran maintained cordial relations with countries across the region.

[00:01:03]US Secretary [music] of State Marco Rubio has said that Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz was suspended at the request of Pakistan. [music] According to media reports, Rubio has said that Pakistan conveyed that halting the operation could help make an agreement with Iran possible. He has added that the project was paused to give diplomacy a chance, >> [music] >> stressing that US President Donald Trump has preferred a diplomatic solution.

[00:01:32]Pakistan has reportedly deployed around 8,000 troops, JF-17 fighter jets, drones, [music] and an HQ-9 air defense system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact. [music] The deployment comes as Islamabad continues mediating between Iran and the United States [music] while deepening military cooperation with Riyadh amid regional tensions.

[00:01:55]Saudi Arabia has said that it intercepted and destroyed three drones that entered the kingdom's airspace from Iraq. The Saudi Ministry of Defense has said that all necessary measures would be taken to safeguard national security, adding that Riyadh reserves the right to respond at the appropriate [music] time and place.

[00:02:17]British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that his time as leader of the country is not over and that he would not walk away from the job or set out a timetable for his departure. During a visit to a small business in North London, he said he remained focused on serving the country [music] and carrying out his duties as Prime Minister.

[00:02:34]Starmer faces growing pressure from within the Labour Party after heavy election losses. [music] The White House has said that Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have reached an agreement under which China will buy at least 17 billion dollars worth of agricultural goods from the United States annually. According to a fact sheet released on Sunday, the purchases will continue through 2028 with the 2026 target applied proportionately for the remainder of the year.

[00:03:07]A magnitude 5.2 earthquake in China's southwest region of Guangxi has killed two and forced more than 7,000 in the city of Liuzhou to evacuate as search and rescue operations continue and authorities warn of transport disruptions.

[00:03:23]>> [music] >> There were two confirmed deaths with one still missing and four people were sent to the hospital although none of them had life-threatening injuries. CCTV and state news agency Xinhua said 13 buildings collapsed in the early hours of Monday.

[00:03:39]Transportation disruptions were also flagged by railway authorities as they inspected the integrity of rail line infrastructure.

[00:03:49]The organizers of a flotilla of aid vessels bound for Gaza have said that Israeli forces intercepted [music] 10 of their boats and that contact had been lost with a total 23 vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ships from the global Samoud flotilla had [music] set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkey after earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.

[00:04:15]Israel's foreign ministry had said on X that it will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza. [music] Live video showed military vessels approaching the vessels.

[00:04:30]An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has been declared a public health emergency [music] of international concern by the World Health Organization after 80 deaths were attributed to the disease.

[00:04:43]The WHO said the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus did not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, but there was a high risk the disease could spread further to countries sharing land borders with the DRC.

[00:04:59]And pilgrims from around the world have started arriving in Mecca as the annual Hajj pilgrimage begins. More than a million worshipers have already arrived and tawaf [music] around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque continues. Meanwhile, Saudi authorities have made large-scale preparations for one of the world's [music] biggest annual religious gatherings, which will continue through Eid al-Adha next week.

[00:05:23]That's all [music] for now. For more updates, visit www.samar.tv.

[00:05:31]Thank you for watching Samer News.