Could Houthi Attacks Trigger the Mecca Pact Involving Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan?

The foreign minister of Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia attended the first committee meeting under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Istanbul on August 31, 2026. Following Yemen's Houthi rebels capturing Mocha port and threatening the Bab al-Mandeb strait, alongside attacks on several cities in Saudi Arabia that wounded about 70 people, questions have emerged regarding the operationalisation of the Mecca Pact.

As the United States signals that regional countries must take primary responsibility for their own defense and deterrence, Gulf states are turning to new security architectures. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement in September 2025, which expanded to include Turkiye in August 2026 to form the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that unprovoked aggression against Saudi Arabia or a spillover of the Yemen conflict would make the agreement operational. Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clarified that the pact would function similarly to NATO, requiring a member state to actively request and define the specific type of help needed.

While Riyadh has not yet invoked the pact, diplomatic efforts are intensifying. Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud have engaged with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, urging Iran to restrain the Houthis. If diplomacy fails, Turkiye and Pakistan are expected to enhance their air and technological support, though direct military intervention in Yemen remains unlikely due to potential regional and domestic repercussions.