Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan Plan Emergency Military Talks Amid Escalating Yemen Conflict

Foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs from Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia pose before the first committee meeting under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Istanbul on August 31, 2026. Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan have announced they are planning an urgent meeting of their chiefs of staff to discuss ways to support the kingdom under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

The announcement followed a meeting in New York between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The statement did not specify the timing of the military chiefs' meeting or the exact nature of the support to be considered.

The three nations signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7 to bolster collective deterrence and expand defence cooperation, stipulating that an attack on one is considered an attack on all. Subsequent mechanisms have been established, including a Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting in Istanbul on August 31 where officials agreed to set up a secretariat in Saudi Arabia.

Thursday’s foreign ministers’ meeting condemned recent attacks targeting Mecca alongside civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, reaffirming the kingdom's right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. These diplomatic developments coincided with a fresh wave of cross-border attacks reported by Saudi Arabia, which stated its air defences intercepted six ballistic missiles launched towards Taif and Yanbu.

Major-General Turki al-Malki, the coalition spokesman, warned that further Houthi escalation would face firm action. Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed missile and drone attacks on a sensitive target in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu. In response, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would send military assets, including soldiers, radars, and defence systems, to help protect Yanbu.

The cross-border incidents align with a surge in heavy fighting inside Yemen. Clashes across multiple fronts resulted in at least 150 deaths among Houthi fighters and government-aligned forces within a 24-hour period, according to an AFP news agency tally. The fighting has also driven widespread displacement, with the UNHCR reporting that over 230,000 people have been forced from their homes since September, adding to the estimated 5.2 million internally displaced persons in Yemen.