RIYADH, October 6, 2026 — Pakistan and Türkiye have agreed to rapidly deploy military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia under the Makkah Defence Alliance, in the most significant activation yet of the trilateral pact signed just two months ago, as Houthi attacks on the kingdom intensify.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Riyadh on Monday, convened as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis escalated missile and drone strikes on Saudi cities, airports and oil facilities.
Rapid deployment agreed
In a joint statement, the three countries said they would “move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defence commitments” and take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the kingdom, state media reported.
The deployment will proceed “in accordance with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the member states”, with the stated aim of enhancing readiness, military integration and the collective capacity of the three countries to confront threats, the statement said.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said the committee had reaffirmed the solidarity and unity of the three countries in confronting what he called the heinous attacks against the kingdom and its holy sites, and agreed to activate collective deterrence measures within the framework of the alliance.
Top brass in attendance
The emergency session drew the highest levels of military and political leadership from all three countries. Pakistan was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, while Türkiye sent Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.
The committee also appointed retired Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s secretary-general for a three-year term, giving the pact a permanent institutional leadership for the first time.
Escalating threat backdrop
The move comes as the Yemen conflict spills ever further into Saudi territory. On Monday the Houthis claimed drone and missile strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco refinery, with loud explosions heard over the Saudi capital in the evening, while Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces pushed a counter-offensive along the Red Sea coast around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Trade sources said the rapid-deployment commitment marks the practical operationalisation of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad in August, transforming what was seen as a political signal into an active military framework — a historic shift in Gulf security architecture.
Neither side disclosed troop numbers or a timeline for the deployments, leaving analysts watching for the first visible arrivals in the coming days as the region braces for further escalation.
