Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye agreed on Monday to activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and rapidly deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia, according to Al Jazeera and The Business Standard. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of defence and foreign ministers in Riyadh.

The pact, signed on August 7, 2026, treats an attack on any member state as an attack on all. This is the first time it has been invoked. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said each country would contribute agreed military capabilities under approved national legal frameworks.

The activation was triggered by escalating attacks from Yemen’s Houthis. The group claimed strikes on Saudi targets including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh and an airbase, though Saudi authorities did not officially confirm those specific claims, TBS News reported.

Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman said the measures were activated to demonstrate unity and confront attacks on Saudi Arabia and its holy sites. Retired Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood of Pakistan became the alliance’s first secretary-general. Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the meeting was brought forward because of the Yemen crisis.