Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan plan defence talks after Houthi attacks
The three countries’ military chiefs are expected to discuss support for Saudi Arabia under a pact that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are arranging an urgent meeting of their military chiefs to discuss support for the kingdom after attacks by Yemen’s Houthis. Saudi Arabia’s top religious authority has called on troops to be ready to lay down their lives in the fight against the group.
Missile and drone attacks
The Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets on Thursday. Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Houthi fighters. The kingdom had earlier issued emergency alerts for areas including Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu, its main Red Sea oil port.
The Houthis have also struck Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and repeatedly fired into Saudi Arabia, disrupting oil flows from the world’s largest energy exporter. The attacks are part of a wider Middle East war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
Defence pact discussions
The Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers met under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, according to Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry. They condemned attacks targeting Mecca and other civilian sites and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself.
The ministers discussed an urgent meeting of their countries’ chiefs of staff on ways to support Saudi Arabia. Under the agreement, an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all parties.
In a statement posted by the Saudi state news agency late Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti called on soldiers to be prepared to lay down their lives fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis until the group is ousted from power.
Iranian president’s comments
The meeting was announced shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to distance Iran from the Houthis in a Thursday interview with the Fox News program “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
“The Houthis are responsible for their own actions,” Pezeshkian said, a day after addressing the UN General Assembly in New York. His interview and speech came during a pause in fighting between the US and Iran and a brief diplomatic effort in New York, with Qatar acting as an intermediary.
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