Turkiye and Pakistan are rushing their military chiefs to Riyadh in response to a call from Saudi Arabia for an urgent meeting on implementing their mutual defence agreement, amid the escalating war against the Houthis in Yemen that has spilled over into Saudi territory.
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that → rush → territory
Turkiye’s Defence Ministry confirmed on Friday that General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, the chief of general staff, will be travelling to Saudi Arabia.
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Bayraktaroglu → confirm → Arabia
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chiefs → plan → fighting
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Salman → slam → Houthis
4How much is UK supporting Saudi Arabia in its war with Iran-backed Houthis?
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UK → support → Houthis
- list 4 of 4Saudi Arabia allies line up support as Houthi attacks mount
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attacks → line → support
Pakistan’s chief of defence forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is also expected to arrive in the Saudi capital soon, Al Jazeera has learned, though the Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan’s military media wing, did not respond to a request for confirmation on whether Munir had departed for Riyadh.
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Munir → expect → Riyadh
The developments follow a Saudi request to Turkiye and Pakistan for their military chiefs to convene, following weeks of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory.
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chiefs → follow → territory
The Houthis said on Thursday they had fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets, including a claimed strike on a “sensitive target” in Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
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they → say → Yanbu
Saudi authorities said air defences intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu, and issued emergency alerts for Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu.
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defences → say → Mecca
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, treats an attack on any one of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan as an attack on all three.
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Agreement → sign → three
Saudi Arabia’s account of the days before Friday’s meeting showed how urgently Riyadh sees the crisis.
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Riyadh → show → crisis
The meeting between three chiefs of staff was first announced after a meeting in New York on September 24 between the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, and Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan.
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meeting → announce → Minister
According to the Saudi foreign ministry, they discussed arrangements for an urgent chiefs of staff meeting to explore ways of supporting Saudi Arabia under the pact.
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they → accord → pact
The statement condemned attacks targeting Mecca and civilian and economic facilities in the kingdom, and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
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statement → condemn → Charter
Pakistan’s account of the same meeting sounded more cautious.
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account → sound → meeting
“Under the framework of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), we reviewed progress towards establishing the institutional structures under the agreement and exchanged views on regional and international security issues,” Dar posted on X.
Turkiye’s foreign ministry struck a similarly measured tone at the New York meeting.
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ministry → review → meeting
Turkish state media described it as a review of ongoing “technical negotiations” towards institutionalising the pact, ahead of a future meeting of its Strategic Political and Defence Committee.
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media → describe → Committee
Days earlier, Fidan had struck a notably different note in a live interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV.
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Fidan → strike → NTV
“Our agreement includes an alliance commitment, we stand by our word,” he said.
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he → include → word
“Their military needs could particularly be in certain technical areas and we wouldn’t have any problem meeting that.”
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we → have → that
Neither Islamabad’s nor Ankara’s account of the New York meeting mentioned the Houthi attacks that had prompted the Saudi statement.
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that → mention → statement
Houthi warnings
That caution may be connected to direct warnings the Houthis have issued to both countries, say analysts.
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analysts → connect → countries
The Iran-backed Houthis have in recent days made dramatic territorial gains against Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government forces.
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Houthis → back → forces
They seized the strategic port city of Mocha and then almost the entire Red Sea coast, including several islands.
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They → seize → islands
That has given the group greater control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the critically important maritime passage that Saudi Arabia was using to ship oil out after the US-Iran war effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz.
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war → give → Hormuz
This week, the Houthis also made advances towards Yemen’s highlands, even as battles with Saudi-backed government forces have escalated.
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battles → make → forces
They have launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia — and threatened allies.
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They → launch → allies
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement’s political bureau, told an Iraqi television programme this week that Pakistan and Turkiye would be met with an “iron fist” if they entered the war.
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they → tell → war
Tughral Yamin, a retired brigadier and senior associate at Islamabad’s Institute of Policy Studies, told Al Jazeera the constraints run on both sides of the pact.
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constraints → tell → pact
“Sending troops would be difficult because the Pakistan Army is stretched thin on ground due to external and internal threats,” he said, referring to ongoing border clashes with Afghanistan, persistent tensions with India and mounting attacks domestically by armed groups.
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he → send → groups
“It is also subject to speculation if Turkiye would be willing to divert troops to Saudi Arabia.
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Turkiye → divert → Arabia
Turkiye has its commitments to NATO and its border with Syria is not entirely secure.”
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border → have → Syria
The Saudi religious establishment has struck an even more urgent note than the foreign ministry.
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establishment → strike → ministry
Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan called on forces to “stand united against this misguided sect and deviant group”, referring to the Houthis.
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Fawzan → call → Houthis
He described defending the kingdom’s borders as a duty “for which lives and souls are sacrificed”.
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lives → describe → which
In a rare message, Saudi King Salman struck a similar note days earlier, accusing the Houthis of attempting to strike Mecca again and telling a cabinet meeting in Jeddah that the attempt violated Islam’s holiest sites.
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attempt → strike → sites
Gokhan Ereli, an international relations expert at Istanbul’s Ibn Haldun University, told Al Jazeera that the mufti’s message was significant domestically, even if its practical effect on Pakistan and Turkiye is limited.
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effect → tell → Pakistan
“The mufti’s authority actually carries real weight in Saudi Arabia domestically, and this statement works above all as a mobilisation tool aimed at soldiers on the front line, giving a long, costly war a spiritual, religious anchor that makes sacrifices easier to accept,” he said.
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he → carry → anchor
Both governments already engage with Riyadh through existing security arrangements, and religious framing mainly reinforces the language of solidarity without altering the formal terms of those commitments,” the academic added.
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academic → engage → commitments
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