Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia test limits of Mecca regional security pact
Por Cao Jiaxuan — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement China-Middle East relations China Diplomacy Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia test limits of Mecca regional security pact
Turkey and Pakistan are unlikely to intervene despite the deal’s terms, which could hobble its deterrent effect, analysts say
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Cao Jiaxuan in Beijing Published: 6:00pm, 26 Sep 2026
Just a month after Saudi Arabia signed a regional mutual defence deal with Pakistan and Turkey, attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against the kingdom’s energy infrastructure and military sites are testing the pact’s limits.
At a hastily convened meeting of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Riyadh on Friday, military chiefs of the three parties reaffirmed their commitment to collective defence, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The agency said the talks focused on “intelligence cooperation, military coordination, and capability integration to strengthen deterrence and collective defence”.
But there was no word on what military support Pakistan and Ankara would give Saudi Arabia.
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