Mecca alliance agrees to activate collective deterrence measures 

The Mecca Alliance says it has agreed to trigger collective deterrence measures in response to “heinous attacks” by Yemen’s Houthi group against Saudi Arabia.

In a statement on Monday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye had decided to “provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment” to the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister, Khalid bin Salman, said the member countries agreed to trigger the alliance in response “to the attacks and all those responsible for them”.

The announcement comes as the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has launched a counteroffensive to push the Iran-aligned Houthis back from territory captured last month.

The agreement was reached during an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee under the Mecca Alliance in Riyadh.

The mutual defence pact was signed in August, shortly before the Houthis launched their offensive in Yemen, which has included attacks against Saudi targets. Questions as to whether Islamabad and Ankara would agree to trigger the agreement have persisted since.

However, with hostilities increasing in Yemen, the committee agreed to “move immediately” to implement the collective defence measures to “ensure their rapid deployment in the Kingdom,” the joint statement reads.

The defence commitments will be executed under “approved arrangements” and the national laws of the three countries, the statement added.

More to come…