Mecca Joint Defense Agreement

Syria, Saudi Arabia expand partnership with defense cooperation agreement amid Houthi threat

The agreement between the countries’ defense ministries was signed during talks between al-Sharaa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on November 4.

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ​meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 4, 2026.
A fighter loyal to Yemen's internationally-recognised government fires a machine gun balanced on a motorcycle at a position along the frontlines against the Houthis around Mount al-Midan in Yemen's western Taiz province on October 26, 2026.

Syria denies plans to send troops to Yemen as Saudi military ties deepen

Saudi Arabia has been locked in worsening hostilities with the Iran-backed Houthis since July, when the wider conflict in the Middle East reignited the Yemen war.

|ByREUTERS
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on January 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Turkey's parliament ratifies Mecca defense pact, clearing way for military support to Saudi Arabia

Under the agreement, signed between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey and sent to parliament for approval last month, an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all.

|ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait, as Iran threatens using Yemen's Houthi allies to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea Wednesday, 15th July 2026

Yemen gov’t tightens import controls as Houthis reportedly demand $51 billion from Saudi Arabia

New measures require proof of full payment of customs duties and taxes before international transfers can proceed, raising concerns over added costs for importers in impoverished Yemen.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Saudi coalition says it intercepts Houthi missiles, drones targeting Khamis Mushait, Riyadh

Hours before the Houthi attack, the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia and defense allies Pakistan ​and Turkey reviewed threats facing Saudi Arabia ​at a meeting in the Saudi capital.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2026ByREUTERS
Houthi activists stand on a platform against a banner depicting Houthi missiles, at an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom, in Sanaa, Yemen, July 31, 2026.

Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish chiefs discuss closer military ties

The meeting follows a Washington Post report earlier on Friday that Saudi Arabia has not ruled out developing a nuclear weapons program, according to US intelligence assessments.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2026ByREUTERS
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and other officials pose before the first committee meeting for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 31, 2026.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan to hold urgent chiefs-of-staff meeting after Houthi attacks

The Houthis have launched strikes on the Saudi-backed government in Yemen and repeatedly fired into Saudi Arabia, disrupting oil flows from the world's largest energy exporter.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2026ByREUTERS
Iran-aligned Houthi fighters move next to a destroyed vehicle following what the source described as an attack on Saudi-backed forces in the location given by the source as al Jawf governorate, Yemen, in this screengrab taken from a video released by Houthi Military Media on September 15, 2026.

Katz attacks 'paper sultan' Erdogan over UNGA speech, urges him to stop 'messing with Israel'

The defense minister accused Erdogan of financing and embracing Hamas, and claimed that he dreams of "restoring the Ottoman Empire" in a post on X/Twitter.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2026ByTZVI JASPER
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026.

Saudi Arabia turns to Israel as Houthi attacks expose limits of the Mecca Pact - opinion

Houthi strikes are pushing Saudi Arabia and Israel toward unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER
(From L) TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chat after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 7.

Jordanian, Qatari, Turkish leaders denounce Israel's West Bank, Gaza policies at UNGA

Iran allegedly prepares to strike back at US targets • Iranian airlines cut off from global system • UK commits air defenses to Saudi Arabia

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
IDF soldiers operating as part of Operation Dawn 2.0, published on September 7, 2026.

IDF reportedly raids several areas in West Bank after one killed in Neveh Tzuf terror attack

Trump calls off planned US strikes on Houthis at last minute after Saudi plea • Iran says it has new targets, weapons ready if US launches new attack, Fars news says

SEPTEMBER 21, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli soldiers and police officers near the scene of a shooting attack at a spring near the Israeli settlement of Neve Tzuf in the West Bank, where an Israeli man was shot by a Palestinian terrorist and later died of his wounds, September 20, 2026.

IDF reportedly raids several areas in West Bank after one killed in Neveh Tzuf terror attack

Trump calls off planned US strikes on Houthis at last minute after Saudi plea • Iran says it has new targets, weapons ready if US launches new attack, Fars news says

SEPTEMBER 20, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli soldiers and police officers near the scene of a shooting attack at a spring near the Israeli settlement of Neve Tzuf in the West Bank, where an Israeli man was shot by a Palestinian terrorist and later died of his wounds, September 20, 2026.

Turkey says it could help meet Saudi military needs under defense pact

Pakistan has said that there were no discussions about a military reaction from Islamabad under the Mecca agreement in response to the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2026ByREUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan talks during a press conference following the first committee meeting under the joint defense accord, the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 31, 2026.

Is the Saudi defense pact misunderstood amid Houthi attacks? - analysis

The concept behind the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement seems more about starting a process than enabling these countries to rapidly deploy to any of their partners' homelands.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, pose after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, August 7, 2026.