Mecca Joint Defense Agreement

Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia is a test of new Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact - analysis

Now there are questions about whether Pakistan or Turkey will respond to the Houthi attacks. Both Pakistan and Turkey have been wary of any conflict with Iran.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Houthi strike on Saudi forces.
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, pose after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca last Friday.

India confronts a new regional security equation as Mecca pact takes shape - analysis

Kuwait invoked the UN Charter’s self-defense provision after Iranian attacks, while the Mecca alliance’s mutual-defense clause has not been publicly tested

|ByJACOB WIRTSCHAFTER / THE MEDIA LINE
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and other officials pose before the first committee meeting for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 31, 2026.

Turkish FM calls Netanyahu 'enemy of humanity,' claims Mecca agreement not directed at any country

"The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is not directed against a specific country," Fidan said, adding that the member states are considering establishing a mechanism to add new members.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud prepare to pose for a picture before the first committee meeting under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.

Regional geopolitical shifts felt as Mecca agreement, Israel-Greek pacts develop - analysis

The two events happening on the same day are a coincidence, because both have been in the works for some time. However, it is symbolic of how the Middle East is being reshaped.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

India-Israel ties will bloom amid Middle East's new Mecca Pact - analysis

Ties with Greece and Cyprus are also likely to benefit from the agreement, with Athens and Nicosia as concerned about an expanded Turkish footprint in the eastern Mediterranean as Jerusalem is.

AUGUST 9, 2026ByHERB KEINON
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in Jerusalem, February 26, 2026.

Turkey, Saudi, Pakistan defense pact complicates Israel normalization hopes, expert tells 'Post'

Saudi Arabia, the hardest-hit of all three countries, likely joined the pact so it would have more leverage and options as trust in Washington is waning in the region, Guzansky said.

AUGUST 9, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose after signing a joint defence agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 7, 2026.