Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan plan defence talks amid Houthi attacks

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are planning an urgent meeting of their military chiefs to discuss ways to support Riyadh under a joint defence agreement, as attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against the kingdom intensify, officials said Friday.

The announcement was made following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries on the sidelines of the UN in New York. General Assembly, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry. The ministers discussed the Chiefs of Staff meeting arrangements and ways to support Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

The accord was signed Aug. 7, states that the attack on one of its members is an attack on all three. The foreign and defence ministers and military chiefs of the countries held their first committee meeting under the pact in Istanbul on Aug. 31.

The ministers “strongly condemned” the attacks targeting Mecca and civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, while affirming Riyadh’s right to defend itself under international law, the Saudi ministry said.

The meeting follows Saudi Arabia’s statement that its air defenses intercepted six ballistic missiles launched toward Taif and Yanbu on Thursday. Riyadh and an Aramco facility in Yanbu were the targets of separate missile and drone attacks, according to the Houthis.