Pakistan Says Houthi Strikes on Saudi Arabia Could Trigger 3-Nation Mecca Pact
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 9
Pakistan Says Houthi Strikes on Saudi Arabia Could Trigger 3-Nation Mecca Pact
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 9
Summary
Khawaja Asif said any further "unprovoked aggression" against Saudi Arabia could make the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement operational after Houthi attacks wounded at least 73 people in the kingdom.
The pact, signed last month by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, treats an attack on one member as an attack on all three, though its enforcement mechanisms have not been spelled out.
Fighting kept intensifying on Wednesday, with Houthi-run media reporting 20 Saudi air strikes across Yemen's Marib, al-Jawf and Taiz governorates; Riyadh had not immediately commented.
The warning comes as Yemen's war sees its sharpest escalation since the 2022 UN truce, with renewed battles around Bab al-Mandeb threatening a shipping route now more critical for Saudi oil exports.
Could Pakistan’s nuclear backing in the new Mecca Agreement trigger a catastrophic regional war over the Yemen conflict?
Will the NATO-style Mecca pact successfully deter Houthi strikes, or simply drag Turkiye and Pakistan into a Middle Eastern quagmire?
As Houthi missiles strike Saudi oil sites, could this unprecedented Islamic military alliance permanently reshape global energy security?
After the September 2026 Houthi Attacks: The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and the Fracturing Middle East Security Order
Overview
In September 2026, Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched major drone and missile attacks on southern Saudi Arabia, causing dozens of casualties and igniting fires at key oil facilities. These strikes triggered a spike in global oil prices and forced Saudi Arabia to halt some operations. The Houthis also targeted Saudi shipping, disrupting Red Sea trade routes. In response, the Saudi-led coalition launched retaliatory airstrikes, while the newly signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey faced its first real test. However, internal divisions and past neutrality resolutions led Pakistan to hesitate on military intervention, highlighting the alliance’s operational limits and the region’s shift toward self-reliance amid declining trust in U.S. security guarantees.