Saudi Arabia just activated a military pact with Turkey and Pakistan against the Houthis
6 days ago · 25 September 2026Share
Saudi Arabia King Salman greets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on March 11, 2016, at King Khalid Military City outside Hafr al-Batin, Saudi Arabia, before a bilateral meeting. File photo. U.S. Department of State · Public domain
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are sending their military chiefs into an emergency meeting.
The goal? Work out how to back Saudi Arabia against Yemen's Houthis.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry announced it a few hours ago.
Here's why it matters. These three countries signed a mutual defence pact in Mecca, seven weeks ago. Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey's President. Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan's Prime Minister. All three signed it.
The pact says one simple thing. Attack one of us, you've attacked all three.
And this meeting is the first time that pact has ever been tested at a military level.
So what pushed things here? Weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Six days ago, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh at dawn. Saudi-led coalition forces say they shot it down. But smoke was still seen near the fuel storage area at King Khalid International Airport.
The Houthis have also taken the Red Sea port of Mocha. And they're pushing towards Marib, an oil-rich province Saudi Arabia's allies still hold in Yemen.
Turkey has already said it's in.
Six days ago, Hakan Fidan, Turkey's Foreign Minister, told the broadcaster NTV that Saudi Arabia might need military help because of the Houthi attacks. He said Turkey would have quote "no issues" meeting technical requests under the pact.
Pakistan has been more careful with its words.
A week ago, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said there had been no talks yet about a military response. It said Pakistan would act when the quote "time comes".
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Aerial view of the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. File photo. Ville Hyvönen · CC BY-SA 2.0
But Pakistan's military sounds a lot more ready than its foreign ministry.
Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who runs Pakistan's military media wing, told Arab News around the same time that Pakistan stands with Saudi Arabia diplomatically and physically, and would go to any extent for the kingdom.
And seventeen days ago, Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defence Minister, said any attack on Saudi Arabia could trigger the pact. He said Pakistan is bound by its terms.
So the words have all been said already.
What's new is this meeting. These are the officers who'd actually plan and run a joint response. Not the ministers who just talk about one.
The pact itself now has a name and a structure behind it. About three weeks ago, the three countries formally called it the Mecca Defence Alliance. They agreed to set up a shared secretariat in Saudi Arabia. A Pakistani official will run it first.
And America is watching from a distance, not stepping in.
Around a week and a half ago, JD Vance, the US Vice President, said Washington was in close contact with Saudi Arabia. He said America had also held direct talks with the Houthis.
Days later, the US State Department approved a possible sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. That deal is worth $24.3 billion. It still needs approval from Congress.
So what don't we know yet? When the chiefs-of-staff meeting will actually happen. And whether Pakistan will commit troops, or just keep offering support.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says no decision has been made. Its Defence Minister and its top military media official both say Pakistan is ready to act.
But being ready isn't the same as deciding.
Seven weeks ago, this pact was just words on paper, a defensive shield nobody had tested. Now three countries' generals are sitting down to work out what defending Saudi Arabia actually looks like.
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