Overview
- The three-way Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, has moved from a political pledge to basic institutions with a Riyadh secretariat and a secretary-general appointed on September 23.
- Military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met in Riyadh on Sept. 25 to review intelligence sharing, military coordination and capability integration as Houthi strikes on Saudi targets rose.
- Pakistan's defence minister publicly vowed on Sept. 29 that Islamabad would use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia, though he did not detail what actions have taken place or will take place.
- Turkey has so far offered technical support and pursued diplomacy with Iran rather than a direct combat role, a stance that reflects Ankara's effort to avoid escalation with Tehran and exposure to Houthi retaliation.
- Key operational questions remain unresolved—no public rules of engagement, no command arrangements—and the Houthis' advances toward Mokha and the Bab el-Mandeb threaten Saudi energy routes and Red Sea shipping, raising the risk of wider regional spillover.