A photograph released by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5 Oct. 5, 2026 shows (from left to right) Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, the Saudi Minister of Defence, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, and the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, posing during a meeting of the Political, Strategic and Defense Committee. (Photo provided by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AFP)
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey agreed on Monday to move immediately to implement their collective defense commitments and ensure the "rapid deployment" of agreed military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia, the three countries said in a joint statement shared by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Mecca Defense Alliance in Riyadh and would be carried out under "approved arrangements" and the national laws of the three countries, the statement said.
The meeting "reaffirmed the solidarity and unity of our countries in confronting the heinous attacks against the Kingdom and the holy sites," the Saudi defense minister said on X.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis claimed on Thursday that the Iran-linked group had attacked a power distribution station in the Saudi city of Medina which supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites.
The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on Aug. 7, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
The agreement announced at the time gave no specifics on the military commitments or defense obligations of each country.
“We also discussed what could be done to resolve the issue peacefully, through dialogue. Saudi Arabia has adopted a very constructive approach to reaching a settlement,” added the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, speaking to the press.
UN concerned about the 'sharp escalation' in fighting
Specifically, the three countries reaffirmed in a joint statement that “the security of each of them was inseparable from their collective security”. They therefore decided to “immediately implement their mutual defense commitments, in particular by mobilizing military forces and assets to be rapidly deployed to Saudi Arabia."
The three states also condemned “the attempt to target Mecca and Medina,” both of which have been the targets of drone attacks attributed to the Houthis, as well as the repeated strikes against towns and civilian and economic infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including oil facilities.
For his part, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sounded the alarm over the “sharp escalation” of fighting in Yemen, his spokesperson said. “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the sharp escalation in fighting, which has increased significantly in recent days. He condemns the Houthis’ continued cross-border attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.
Since the resumption of the war in Yemen in July between the Houthi rebels and government forces, backed by a coalition led by Riyadh, regular strikes have been carried out against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whose air force is also bombing Houthi-held territory in Yemen.
