Turkey and Pakistan deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defense agreement

Turkey and Pakistan announced on Monday that they would rapidly send forces and military assets to Saudi Arabia, under the mutual defense agreement signed in August in Mecca. The decision was made in Riyadh, following a meeting of the three states, amid attacks attributed to Houthi fighters from Yemen on Saudi cities and infrastructure.

The joint statement condemns the attacks on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, as well as strikes on civilian, economic, oil and military targets. The Houthis are not named directly, but the pro-Iranian group has repeatedly attacked Saudi territory since hostilities resumed in Yemen in July.

This is the first time the agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has been activated. The understanding brings together the second-largest army in NATO, the leading military power in the Persian Gulf and the only nuclear power in the Muslim world.

The decision comes after the Houthis seized control in September of a large part of Yemen’s western coastline and intensified attacks on Saudi facilities. On Sunday, an East-West oil pipeline pumping station was hit, and oil transport was halted. Saudi Arabia, for its part, is conducting a sustained air-supported counteroffensive, while the Houthis warn that Saudi airspace is not safe.