Saudi Arabia calls urgent defence talks with Pakistan and Turkiye over Houthi attacks

Saudi Arabia has called for urgent talks in Riyadh with the military chiefs of Pakistan and Turkiye as Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom intensify, Al Jazeera reported. Turkish General Staff chief Selcuk Bayraktaroglu will travel to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye’s Defence Ministry confirmed, while Pakistan’s chief of defence forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is also expected to attend.

The proposed meeting follows September 24 talks in New York involving Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. 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 Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, which treats an attack on one of the three countries as an attack on all.

Pakistan and Turkiye have publicly used more cautious language. Dar said the ministers reviewed progress toward establishing the agreement’s institutional structures and discussed regional and international security issues. Al Jazeera reported that both governments remained wary of direct involvement in the conflict.

The Houthis said Thursday that they launched dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets, including Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Saudi authorities said air defences intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu and issued emergency alerts for Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu.