Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to hold emergency defense talks on Houthi attacks

Oct 2, 2026

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will convene an emergency defense meeting in Riyadh during the week of October 5, 2026, to address escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including an October 1 drone strike in Madinah. The talks will test the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed on August 7, 2026, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. The alliance will also debate an informal proposal from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to engage the Houthis politically rather than through kinetic military action.

Meetings of the Strategic Political Defence Committee

▪Dar said the Makkah Defence Alliance's Strategic Political Defence Committee, comprising the foreign ministers, defense ministers, and chiefs of army staff of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, will hold a regular follow-up meeting in late October or early November 2026
▪The Strategic Political Defence Committee of the Makkah Defence Alliance held its first meeting in Istanbul on August 31, 2026
▪Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will convene an emergency meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance's Strategic Political Defence Committee in Riyadh next week to address Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

▪Houthi strikes on September 8, 2026, wounded 73 people and caused fires at energy facilities in southern Saudi Arabia
▪A drone strike attributed to Yemen's Houthis struck the Taibah power distribution station serving the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah on October 1, 2026, disabling a transformer
▪Yemen's Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July 2026 and have since targeted Saudi territory and shipping in the Red Sea

Iran's diplomatic stance on the conflict

▪Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested to Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar that the Makkah Defence Alliance should engage Yemen's Houthis politically rather than using kinetic military action
▪Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintained that Iran has no association with Yemen's Houthis or Iraqi militias

The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement's collective defense framework

▪Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar compared the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement to NATO and stated that the Agreement's collective defense cooperation is permitted under the United Nations Charter
▪The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed on August 7, 2026, establishes a collective defense framework where an armed attack on Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey is treated as an attack on all three

Military condemnations of Houthi attacks

▪The military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey met in Riyadh on September 25, 2026, to condemn Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
▪Pakistan's military issued a statement on October 2, 2026, condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressing commitment to the security of Islam's holy sites

Rules for admitting new alliance members

▪The founding agreement of the Makkah Defence Alliance allows other countries to join only with the unanimous consent of the founding members: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey
▪Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at least six countries have expressed interest in joining the Makkah Defence Alliance, but new members cannot be admitted until the pact is fully operational, which is expected to take at least a year

Debatable claims

▪Iran bears responsibility for Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia despite its denials of association
▪The Makkah Defence Alliance should politically engage the Houthis instead of launching military strikes
▪The Makkah Defence Alliance's collective defense pact is an effective deterrent against regional threats