Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to rapidly deploy military forces in Saudi Arabia under their new trilateral defence pact.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Riyadh on Monday. The meeting was called after renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, treats an armed attack on any member as an attack on all three. This is the first time its collective defence commitments are being activated.

Turkey is sending defensive and technical support, including air defence systems, intelligence sharing and drone operators, officials told Reuters. A Turkish official said no other deployment has taken place so far, and Turkey's parliament has not yet ratified the pact.

Pakistan's Nauman Mahmood has been named the alliance's first secretary-general for a three-year term. The three countries also agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition for Red Sea navigational safety.