Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey: Could the Mecca defense pact become a game changer in the war against the Houthis in Yemen?

The latest iteration of Saudi Arabia's defense deal with Turkey and Pakistan, the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, is taking shape amid the country's escalating conflict with Yemen's Houthi militia. According to the trilateral defense commitment , which was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on August 7, 2026, an armed attack on any one of the three states involved should be regarded as an attack on them all.