Pakistan warns Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia may trigger Mecca pact
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. The pact, signed by Pakistan, Turkiye, and Saudi Arabia, treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. The warning follows a Houthi missile barrage that wounded dozens in southern Saudi Arabia.
The Mecca pact, signed last month, functions as a collective defense treaty, though its operational rules remain undefined. Combined, the three signatories possess roughly 1.4 million active troops and over 3,400 aircraft, according to the 2026 Global Firepower Index.
The recent Houthi missile barrage wounded 73 people in southern Saudi Arabia. In response, Saudi warplanes reportedly struck multiple districts across Marib, al-Jawf, and Taiz. This violence marks the worst escalation since the 2022 UN-brokered truce, which collapsed after government forces hit the Sanaa airport in July.
Activation of the pact could draw Pakistan and Turkiye directly into the conflict, potentially expanding the war beyond Yemen's borders. This escalation may further endanger civilian populations in southern Saudi Arabia and Yemeni governorates, while also threatening maritime traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Regional economic and security dynamics could shift if the collective defense mechanism is triggered.