The pact stipulates that an attack on one of the three countries is considered an attack on all of them.
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan have announced they are planning an urgent meeting of their chiefs of staff to discuss ways to support the kingdom under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
The announcement followed a meeting on Thursday in New York between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Recommended Stories
list of ۴ itemsend of list
The statement did not say when the military chiefs would meet or what form of support could be considered.
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August ۷ to strengthen collective deterrence and expand defence cooperation.
The pact stipulates that an attack on one of the three countries is considered an attack on them all.
The three countries have since begun setting up mechanisms under the pact. Their foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs met in Istanbul on August ۳۱ for the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee, agreeing to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia and to deepen military cooperation.
Thursday’s foreign ministers’ meeting also condemned attacks targeting Mecca as well as civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, and it affirmed the kingdom’s right to defend itself under Article ۵۱ of the UN Charter.
The diplomatic moves came as Saudi Arabia reported a fresh wave of attacks from Yemen.
Saudi Arabia said its air defences shot down six ballistic missiles launched towards Taif and Yanbu on Thursday.
Major-General Turki al-Malki, the coalition spokesman, said further Houthi escalation would be “dealt with firmly”. Saudi Civil Defence authorities had issued alerts in several areas before later saying the danger had passed.
The Houthis separately claimed missile and drone attacks on a “sensitive target” in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
France has also offered to provide defensive support to Saudi Arabia. President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would send military assets to help protect Yanbu.
“We are going to send military assets, meaning soldiers, radars and defence systems to protect this site,” Macron said in an interview with TF۱ on Thursday.
Yemen clashes drive rising casualties and displacement
The cross-border attacks have coincided with some of the heaviest fighting inside Yemen since hostilities escalated again.
Fighting across several fronts in Yemen killed at least ۱۵۰ Houthi fighters and members of government-aligned forces in the ۲۴ hours leading into Friday, according to an AFP news agency tally.
The toll compiled by AFP included ۹۸ fighters on the government side and ۵۲ from the Houthis, with clashes reported around the Kahboub Mountains and areas between Lahj and Taiz overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The Houthis have also expanded their presence along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including by taking the port city of Mocha and strategic islands. The gains have strengthened the group’s position around Bab al-Mandeb, one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors. About ۱۲ percent of global trade normally passes through the waterway, according to AP.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government has urged greater international involvement, warning at the UN General Assembly that Houthi control around the strait poses a wider economic risk.
Vice President Abdullah Abdulkader Al Alimi-Bawzer accused the Houthis of using freedom of navigation as leverage, saying their actions were “taking hostage the entire global economy”.
The renewed fighting has forced more than ۲۳۰,۰۰۰ people from their homes since the beginning of September, according to UNHCR, as clashes spread across multiple front lines. The agency said the latest displacement has added to about ۵.۲ million people already internally displaced across Yemen.
UNHCR said families have been uprooted across governorates, including Hodeidah, Taiz, Lahj, Aden, Abyan, Marib, al-Dhalea and Shabwah, with many fleeing at short notice and leaving with few belongings.
Shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection services are among the most urgent needs, while host communities and displacement sites are becoming increasingly overstretched.
