Turkey sending defensive support to Saudi Arabia to help fight Houthis

Türkiye is sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia to help it fight Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, two officials said on Wednesday (Oct 7), after the NATO member and Pakistan pledged to act on the collective defence commitment of their newly formed alliance.



Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member constituted an attack on all. They have been working to set the parameters of the new alliance and have held political and military meetings in response to the Houthi attacks.



On Monday, the countries said they had agreed to move immediately to implement their collective defence commitments and ensure the "rapid deployment" of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.