Mecca Defense Alliance Meets in Riyadh to Institutionalize Pact
Defense and foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan meet in Riyadh to formalize a collective security alliance amid escalating Houthi attacks.
Foreign ministers, defense ministers, and chiefs of general staff from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan will meet in Riyadh on October 5, 2026, for the second session of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee. The meeting aims to institutionalize the Mecca Joint Defense Alliance, a collective security framework signed on August 7 that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Delegations will discuss establishing a permanent secretariat in Riyadh and a military headquarters. This follows an inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31 and subsequent discussions in New York. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu are leading the Turkish delegation to outline a vision for the alliance's development and the security of international trade routes.
The summit occurs as the Saudi-backed government launches a major military operation in Yemen to seize Houthi-controlled territory. The Houthi group recently claimed to have targeted Saudi Aramco in Riyadh with missiles and drones, though Saudi officials described those claims as misleading. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar noted that the kingdom has faced 17 to 18 recent attacks, prompting Pakistan and Türkiye to reaffirm their commitment to defend Saudi Arabia.
While the alliance focuses on joint deterrence, the committee will also consider a proposal from Iran to engage the Houthis through political means, a suggestion previously relayed by the Pakistani government.
