Mohan Sinha
27 Sep 2026

RIYADH/CAIRO: Saudi Arabia is seeking closer military coordination with Turkey and Pakistan as Houthi attacks from Yemen intensify, with the three countries preparing an urgent meeting of their military chiefs under a new joint defense agreement.

The meeting will focus on ways to support Saudi Arabia under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, which was signed in August. The pact says an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all three.

The move came after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis stepped up attacks on Saudi targets. The Houthis said they launched dozens of missiles and drones at targets in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles.

Saudi Arabia had earlier issued emergency alerts for several areas, including the holy city of Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu, a major Red Sea oil port.

Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, the kingdom's top religious authority, also called on soldiers to remain ready to fight the Houthis and sacrifice their lives if necessary. He urged troops to continue fighting until the Houthi group was defeated.

The developments followed a meeting in New York between the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. The ministers condemned attacks on Mecca and other civilian and economic sites in Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed the kingdom's right to defend itself.

"The ministers also discussed arrangements for holding an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to discuss ways to support Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which stipulates that an attack against any one of the parties constitutes an attack against all parties," a Saudi statement said.

Turkey's Defense Ministry said Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts.

Turkey has previously said it could help Saudi Arabia with military requirements, particularly technical needs. However, Turkish officials have said any support at this stage would be primarily bilateral and based on the alliance, as Turkey's parliament has not yet ratified the defense agreement.

The planned military meeting also followed comments by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who sought to distance Tehran from Houthi actions during an interview with Fox News on September 24.

Pezeshkian said the Houthis were responsible for their own actions. His comments came a day after he addressed the UN General Assembly in New York.

The interview and UN speech took place during a pause in fighting between the United States and Iran and a short diplomatic effort in New York. Qatar has been acting as an intermediary between the two sides.

The latest Houthi attacks come amid a wider regional conflict that has disrupted energy and shipping routes. The renewed fighting has also increased pressure on Saudi Arabia and its new defense partners to coordinate their response.