A defence agreement signed in Mecca in August is facing its first concrete test after Houthi attacks on Saudi territory prompted Riyadh to seek urgent talks with Pakistan and Turkiye on how the pact should be put into effect.
Turkiye's Defence Ministry said General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, the chief of general staff, will travel to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan's chief of defence forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is also expected to arrive in the Saudi capital soon. The timing of their arrivals and the meeting itself has yet to be set out.
Saudi Arabia called for the meeting with both countries after weeks of Houthi missile and drone attacks on its territory. The discussions are expected to examine possible support for Saudi Arabia under the Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Mecca on 7 August 2026.
Under that agreement, an attack on any one of the three signatories is treated as an attack on all three. The arrangement has gained urgency since 8 September, when Iran-backed Houthi forces launched a massive drone and missile barrage into Saudi Arabia, striking critical military and energy infrastructure.
Neither Pakistan nor Turkey launched military counter-operations alongside Saudi Arabia after that attack. The Riyadh meeting will therefore be the first senior military discussion aimed at translating the agreement into practical arrangements, although the capabilities or forces that could be offered have not been disclosed.
The talks were prepared at a meeting in New York on 24 September involving Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. They discussed arrangements for an urgent meeting of chiefs of staff to consider ways of supporting Saudi Arabia under the pact.
Pakistan has issued broad commitments to Saudi Arabia's defence. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Pakistan is 'bound by the terms and conditions of this pact, and we will honour them in case there is a need'.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations, or ISPR, Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan would go to 'any extent' to defend Saudi Arabia. He described Islamabad's commitment to Saudi security as 'unconditional' and said: 'Pakistan fully stands with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both diplomatically and physically.'
Lt Gen Chaudhry also said Pakistan was working with regional countries to find a 'negotiated, peaceful outcome of this complex situation'. The statements leave open what form any Pakistani support could take if the Riyadh talks lead to formal decisions.
Turkey has signalled a different limit. A Turkish official told Al-Monitor that Turkey will not directly intervene in the unfolding conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. How Ankara would support the pact while ruling out a direct military role remains unclear.
The Houthis have shown no sign of easing their campaign against Saudi Arabia and the forces it backs in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis this week of targeting the holy city of Makkah. The Houthis rejected Riyadh's report of targeting Makkah as a 'lie'.
Pakistan, Turkiye, France and Britain are showing mounting support for Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh discussions, however, concern the three parties to the Mecca agreement, and it remains unknown whether they will produce commitments to join active operations against the Houthis or establish other forms of support.
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