Yemenupdated 57m ago2 min read
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Türkiye Begin Rapid Military Deployment Under Mecca Defense Pact
Mecca Defense Alliance approves rapid deployment of Turkish and Pakistani forces to Saudi Arabia. Collective deterrence measures activated in response to Yemeni Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Mecca Pact activated
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye agreed to immediate transition to practical implementation of joint defense commitments and to ensure the “rapid deployment” of the agreed military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia after an emergency meeting in Riyadh. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement that the decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Baghdad Defense Alliance in Riyadh, and that it would be implemented “in accordance with approved arrangements and the national legislations of the member states.”
Saudi Defense Minister Prince خالد بن سلمان wrote on X that the emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Baghdad Defense Alliance demonstrates solidarity and that the countries stand “shoulder to shoulder to confront the egregious attacks targeting the kingdom and the holy sites.” The Mecca Agreement for Collective Defense signed in August stated that any armed attack against one member country constitutes an attack against all, and the agreement did not include specific details about military commitments or defense undertakings for each country.
Yemen escalation backdrop
The emergency meeting in Riyadh came as fighting in Yemen intensified and as the Saudi-led coalition said the Yemeni Houthi group attacked a power distribution station in Al Madinah, which feeds the Prophet’s Mosque. Reuters said the coalition is fighting the Yemeni Houthi group allied with Iran, and it placed the Mecca pact activation alongside the escalation that included attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and the holy sites.
CNN Arabic said the Strategic Political, Defense, and Security Committee of the “Mecca Defense Pact” announced the “immediate transition to the practical implementation of the obligations of collective defense,” after an emergency meeting in Riyadh to discuss “security developments and threats facing the Kingdom.” CNN Arabic also said the committee issued a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) to “take the necessary measures to provide the agreed troops and military capabilities and their rapid deployment in the Kingdom.”
What comes next
The Mecca pact activation added another layer to Saudi Arabia’s military response as Washington provided support without directly joining the war in Yemen, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Obviously the Saudis have come under Houthi attack … and they have a right to defend themselves.” Al Jazeera reported that US advisers were working in Saudi planning and operations centers, including on targeting, while the official said US forces were not participating in the Yemen war and had no specific military objectives there.
DW said the coalition led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen acknowledged its participation through airstrikes with “one hundred fighter aircraft” in the attack alongside the Yemeni government against the Houthis. DW reported that spokesman Turki al-Maliki said, “We destroyed 324 high-value targets since the operation began,” as government-backed forces described capturing Dhobab Airport and cutting the route between Dhobab and Mokha.