The military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the three signatories of the Mecca defence pact, on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to defend the Kingdom amid repeated attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement last month, saying an armed attack on any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack on all. “The attempted drone attack on the holy city of Mecca al-Mukarramah has outraged Muslims across the globe. Any threat to safety and sanctity… is a red line that must never be crossed.
Last week, Riyadh accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca for the first time since 2017 with a drone that was downed — an accusation the Houthis denied.
The three military chiefs discussed enhancing intelligence sharing, military coordination and capability integration at a meeting in Riyadh, according to statements from Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry and Pakistan’s military. The statements said the chiefs of defence forces and chiefs of general staff reviewed the security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia and condemned attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis targeting the holy city of Mecca, as well as the kingdom’s civilian and economic infrastructure. The signatories said the pact was aimed at strengthening collective deterrence and military cooperation. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at the UN on Friday that further attacks on the Islamic holy city of Mecca would be a “red line” for Islamabad. “We once again condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the recent deplorable attacks by the Houthis against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Sharif said at the UN’s gathering of world leaders in New York. No Muslim can even dare to think of committing such a heinous (act),” Sharif said. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday its air defences “intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the Riyadh area”.
On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis said it had intercepted drones and ballistic missiles, as the Iran-backed group launched fresh attacks, including on Riyadh, despite international condemnation.
