SAUDI-LED ALLIANCE AGREES TO ACTIVATE DETERRENCE OVER HOUTHI ATTACKS
The Mecca Alliance has agreed to activate what it calls "collective deterrence" measures following what it describes as attacks by Yemen's Houthi group against Saudi Arabia, according to a statement from the alliance. Saudi Minister of Defence Prince Khaled bin Salman announced the decision after an emergency meeting of the alliance's Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Riyadh. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye had agreed to "provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment" to Saudi Arabia. The alliance's 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 announcement follows an escalation in hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement, which is aligned with Iran.
The decision comes as the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has launched a counteroffensive aimed at pushing the Houthis back from territory the group captured last month, according to reports. The Mecca Alliance groups Saudi Arabia with other countries, including Pakistan and Turkiye, and is intended to coordinate a joint response to threats facing the kingdom. The Strategic Political and Defence Committee met in Riyadh to discuss the alliance's response before issuing its statement on the activation of deterrence measures. Officials did not immediately specify the scale or timeline of the military forces to be deployed.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the agreed forces and capabilities would be made available to Saudi Arabia, though further details on deployment had not been confirmed at the time of the announcement. The move signals a coordinated military commitment from the alliance's member states in response to the continuing confrontation with the Houthis. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye framed their cooperation as a defence of both the kingdom and its holy sites. No further operational details had been released by the alliance as of the announcement.