Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan to hold urgent military talks amid intensifying Houthi attacks
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan to hold urgent military talks amid intensifying Houthi attacks")
Supporters of the Houthi authorities brandish their weapons and hold placards showing the Kaaba and reading "For it, we willingly offer our souls" during a protest against the Saudi intervention in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia's recent accusation that the Houthis fired at the holy city of Mecca, in Sanaa on September 18, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are set to hold urgent chief of staff talks on supporting Riyadh under their defence pact as Houthi attacks against the kingdom intensify.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are set to hold urgent talks between their military chiefs to discuss ways to support the kingdom, Riyadh said in a statement on Friday (Sept 25). The meeting comes amid a rise in attacks by Yemen's Houthis against Saudi Arabia.
The announcement followed a meeting between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in New York on Thursday. The three ministers met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting "addressed ongoing arrangements for an urgent meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of the three countries to discuss ways to support the Kingdom in accordance with the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," according to a statement shared by Saudi Arabia's official news agency SPA.
Turkey's chief of general staff will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to attend the meeting, the Turkish defence ministry said. It was not immediately clear whether the talks would also take place on Friday.
Saudi Arabia seeks support under defence pact
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement last month, committing the three countries to mutual defence if any one of them is attacked.
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The agreement was signed on August 7, 2026, at Al Safa Palace in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The pact evolved from an earlier Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed on September 17, 2025.
The agreement establishes a NATO-style mutual defence framework aimed at strengthening joint military deterrence and regional security.
Despite the agreement's mutual defence clause, Pakistan and Turkey have so far not responded militarily to the Houthi attacks.
Houthi attacks raise tensions
The Iran-backed Houthis have intensified attacks against Saudi Arabia since July, including on key energy infrastructure, ending a years-long truce and declaring a maritime blockade. The group has targeted Saudi facilities and seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast as it seeks to disrupt Saudi oil exports.
Saudi Arabia is the world's top crude oil exporter, making the attacks a major concern for the kingdom.
The three foreign ministers also condemned Houthi attacks targeting civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, SPA reported. They also condemned attacks on Mecca, Islam's holiest city, which the Yemeni group has denied carrying out.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Saleh bin Fawzan bin Abdullah Al Fawzan called on soldiers to "be prepared to fulfil your duty". He also prayed for God to "eradicate the Houthi group and those who support it".
The planned chief of staff meeting will focus on ways to support Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement as the kingdom faces continued attacks from the Houthis.
