Pakistan warns Saudi strikes could activate joint defence agreement

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said an attack on Saudi Arabia could activate the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, after Yemen’s Houthi group launched missile attacks in southern Saudi Arabia. Riyadh said at least 73 people were wounded.

Asif said the agreement would become operational in the event of “unprovoked aggression” or a spillover of the fighting in Yemen into Saudi Arabia, adding that Pakistan was bound by the pact’s terms and would honour them if needed.

What the Mecca agreement says

The agreement commits Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan to reinforce collective deterrence against aggression. Its core provision mirrors a key NATO principle: an attack on one member is to be considered an attack on all three. For additional context, see “Saudi Arabia threatens retaliation after Houthi strikes”.

The precise mechanisms for putting that commitment into effect have not been clarified. The three countries signed the pact as regional tensions grew, including concerns about Israel’s expanding military capabilities and Iran’s growing influence across the Middle East.

Fighting intensifies in Yemen

The Houthi attacks came as fighting escalated between the Iran-aligned group and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. The hostilities are described as the most serious escalation since a United Nations-brokered truce halted large-scale fighting in 2022. A related part of this story is covered in “Yemen’s government forces open counteroffensive against Houthis”.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that Saudi warplanes later carried out strikes in Yemen’s Marib, al-Jawf and Taiz governorates. It reported five strikes in al-Jawf, 10 in Marib and five in Taiz; Saudi forces had not immediately commented.

The conflict began in 2014 after the Houthis took Sanaa, followed by a Saudi-led military intervention the next year. The Houthis resumed a major offensive last week toward al-Makha and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, after government forces struck the Houthi-controlled airport in Sanaa in July. The development of this issue can be followed in “What Yemen’s government gains mean in the war against the Houthis”.