Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have agreed to immediately activate their collective defence commitments and ensure the swift deployment of military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance in Riyadh and will be implemented under “approved arrangements” and in accordance with the national laws of the three countries, according to a joint statement issued on Monday.
Although the statement did not identify a specific threat, the move comes amid mounting attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group as part of the wider conflict in the region.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud said the emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee of the Makkah Alliance reaffirmed the three countries’ “solidarity and unity” in responding to attacks against the Kingdom and the holy sites.
“The committee agreed to activate collective deterrence measures within the framework of the Alliance in response to the attacks and all those responsible for them,” he said in a post on X.
The meeting condemned “in the strongest terms” the reported attempts to target Makkah and Madinah, as well as continuing attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic infrastructure.
The three countries signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all.
It remains unclear whether Pakistani and Turkish forces will participate directly in combat operations against the Houthis. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in a Geo TV programme that both Islamabad and Ankara had a “presence in the theatre”, but that Saudi forces were currently the only troops engaged in combat operations.
“Whatever assistance they require is being provided. But right now, the Turkish and Pakistani armies are playing a supportive role,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Monday claimed responsibility for a series of missile and drone attacks targeting sites in Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco refinery in Rabigh.
Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group had carried out “three qualitative military operations” using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. He said the attacks were conducted in response to Saudi military action in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the attacks and reaffirmed the Kingdom’s right to defend its territory and citizens.
“The Kingdom reaffirms its inherent right to defend its territory, resources, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents, and to take all necessary measures to protect its security in accordance with international law,” the ministry said.
The two sides have been trading strikes ever since the Houthis seized all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait in a lightning offensive.
