Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have activated their mutual defense pact for the first time, agreeing to rapidly deploy military forces and capabilities to the kingdom in response to continuing Houthi missile and drone attacks from Yemen.
The decision came on Monday after an emergency meeting in Riyadh of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Mecca Alliance, the trilateral pact signed on August 7. A joint statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency and published by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the three countries would move immediately to practical implementation of their joint defense commitments, and would provide the agreed forces and deploy them to Saudi Arabia in line with each country's national laws.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said the alliance had agreed to activate collective deterrence measures in response to the attacks. The three governments condemned what they described as an attempt to target the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, along with ongoing strikes on Saudi cities and civilian and economic facilities. According to Middle East Eye, the statement did not mention the Houthis by name.
The statement gave no figures for the size of the deployment and no timeline. It also remains unclear whether Turkish and Pakistani troops will take part in combat. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo TV that Islamabad and Ankara have a presence in the theater but that Saudi forces are currently the only ones engaged in fighting, The Week reported. The three countries also agreed to explore steps toward resolving the crisis peacefully and through dialogue.
The committee appointed retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Numan Mahmud as the alliance's first secretary-general, for a three-year term.
The pact, modeled on NATO's collective defense principle, treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. Its credibility had been questioned in recent weeks after Turkey and Pakistan did not respond militarily to earlier waves of Houthi attacks on the kingdom. The activation comes as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces press a large-scale offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis, with the United States providing support but not joining the war directly.
