RIYADH — Turkey's Chief of General Staff Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu will travel to Riyadh for urgent talks with his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced. The meeting will address joint responses to recent Houthi attacks under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a military pact signed August 7, 2026.
The military gathering follows a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in New York on Tuesday between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Both meetings were triggered by escalating strikes from Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia reported intercepting six ballistic missiles launched by Houthis toward the cities of Taif and Yanbu on Tuesday. The Houthi militia separately claimed responsibility for targeting what it called "a sensitive target" in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu using missiles and drones.
The Mecca agreement stipulates that an attack on any signatory nation constitutes an attack on all three. The pact aims to strengthen collective deterrence and expand defense cooperation among Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the alliance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. He said such initiatives in the region would "naturally draw opposition" but expressed confidence the alliance would strengthen as members complete institutional arrangements. "External security prescriptions for the region have often resulted in increased instability," Erdoğan said, framing the trilateral effort as a regional solution to regional problems.
Saudi Grand Mufti Salih al-Fawzan called for maintaining security and stability in Yemen and urged Arab Coalition forces to preserve unity in confronting the Houthis.
