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Pakistan and Turkiye deploy forces to Saudi Arabia as Mecca pact is activated

First activation of the August trilateral defence agreement as Riyadh backs a Yemeni government offensive against the Houthis

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources2 outlets
For the first time since it was signed in August, the mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye has been put into force, with the three countries agreeing at an emergency meeting in Riyadh to deploy Pakistani and Turkish forces to the kingdom as Saudi Arabia backs an offensive against Yemen's Houthis.

The Mecca pact's top committee met in Riyadh on Monday and agreed to move "immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defense commitments," according to a joint statement shared by Pakistan's Foreign Office. The committee agreed to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, in line with approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties. The statement did not specify the size or role of the forces.

The deployment comes as the Saudi-led coalition supports a Yemeni government counteroffensive to retake territory seized by the Houthis last month along Yemen's Red Sea coast, a key shipping route. Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki said 100 fighter jets were supporting the operation.

Hours after the meeting, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking from Riyadh, said Pakistani forces were already involved. "The forces of Turkiye and Pakistan are playing a supporting role. We are definitely involved in reconnaissance and such things, but the combat is practically being conducted by Saudi Arabia's own forces, and they are the ones retaking those areas," Asif told Geo News.

The remarks leave Pakistan in a defensive role alongside a Saudi offensive. Analysts told Al Jazeera that this raises a question Islamabad has yet to answer publicly: how long it can stay out of the actual fighting.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The activation of the Mecca pact is a significant escalation of the Yemen conflict, drawing two nuclear-armed regional powers, Pakistan and Turkiye, into a formal military commitment to Saudi Arabia.
  • The Houthi seizure of Yemen's Red Sea coast last month threatens the Bab al-Mandeb shipping route, a critical corridor for global oil and trade.
  • The deployment tests the limits of a defensive pact, with Pakistan explicitly positioning its role as support rather than combat.

Background

The Mecca pact, a trilateral defence agreement signed in August between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, was designed as a collective deterrence arrangement. Its activation marks the first time the signatories have invoked its collective defence commitments. The immediate trigger is the recent Houthi takeover of Yemen's Red Sea coast, which prompted a Saudi-led coalition counteroffensive. The pact's top committee had met in late August to discuss next steps, and the decision to deploy forces follows weeks of preparation.

Key Perspectives

Pakistan: Islamabad has committed forces to a supporting role, emphasising reconnaissance and defensive assistance while stating that Saudi Arabia's own forces are conducting the combat and retaking territory. Saudi Arabia: Riyadh is leading the offensive with coalition air support, including 100 fighter jets, and has framed the deployment as part of its collective deterrence obligations under the pact. Turkiye: Ankara agreed to the deployment alongside Pakistan, though its specific contribution has not been detailed in the public statements. Critics and analysts: Analysts question whether Pakistan can maintain a defensive, non-combat role indefinitely, and how long it can avoid being drawn into direct fighting given its formal commitment under the pact.

What to Watch

  • Whether Pakistani and Turkish forces move from reconnaissance and support into active combat roles, and any public clarification from Islamabad on the limits of its involvement.
  • The progress of the Yemeni government offensive and whether it regains the Red Sea coast territory seized by the Houthis last month.
  • The Houthi response to the foreign deployment, and any impact on shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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