Houthi Success Tests Mecca Defence Pact

Conflict Tracker

Yemeni Civil War The first major test for the Mecca defence pact… And it’s not gotten off to a good start so far. What happened? Pakistan says no military response to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia is currently under discussion under the Mecca defence pact, leaving its potential involvement unresolved as regional fighting intensifies.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Islamabad would act when the “time comes”. The agreement, signed last month by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, treats an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three. Reuters did not report that Pakistan had rejected a formal Saudi request or invoked exclusions for existing conflicts or non-state actors.

Separate reporting points to a narrower operational position: Pakistani officials described their role as defending Saudi territory. Sources said representatives from all three countries coordinated in Riyadh and agreed their troops would not enter Yemen. Pakistan could provide military and technical assistance inside the kingdom, while no decision had been taken to join retaliatory strikes. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif nevertheless warned that aggression spilling into Saudi Arabia could activate the arrangement.

Islamabad faces competing pressures. Saudi security ties support its pursuit of Gulf investment, while relations with Tehran underpin its diplomatic role. Pakistan also depends on energy shipments through waterways vulnerable to Iranian and Houthi disruption. Pakistani soldiers deployed near Yemen’s border increase its exposure if fighting spreads. The strategic implication is that collective defence still requires political decisions about the scale, location and purpose of military involvement. Protecting Saudi infrastructure and joining an offensive campaign in Yemen would create different commitments and escalation risks.

Another issue is that the Saudis could ask Turkey, the pact’s third partner, to expand its military role, but doing so could carry political risks. If Turkish forces helped secure the Yemeni coast, Riyadh could face an ally gaining lasting influence over ports and access to Bab al-Mandab. From that perspective, Turkish assistance could address an immediate security threat while complicating Saudi Arabia’s longer-term regional interests.