Overview
- Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told the Manama Dialogue on Saturday that discussions are under way to evaluate Syria's entry into the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
- The Mecca pact, signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, declares an attack on one signatory should be treated as an attack on all three.
- Damascus said it would support collective deterrence efforts, stressed close economic and military ties with Türkiye, and reiterated backing for the Saudi‑backed Yemeni government.
- Syrian officials accused Israel of carrying out more than 1,000 strikes on Syrian territory in the past two years, using the accession talks to press for stronger regional deterrence.
- Any formal Syrian accession would require agreement and legal steps by existing members, and so far the pact’s signatories have not launched coordinated offensive operations against the Houthis.