Officials: Turkey Sends Technical and Defense Support to Saudi Arabia to Counter Houthi Attacks

Two senior officials said that Turkey has begun sending technical and defense support to Saudi Arabia, in a move that comes amid escalating attacks by the Houthi armed group in Yemen against Saudi targets.

According to the officials, this step comes within the framework of activating the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement, a pact between Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia that obliges signatory parties to act swiftly and coordinate jointly in the event that any of them faces a direct military threat.

Escalating Houthi Threat

This move comes in the context of an increasing frequency of Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, which has pushed Riyadh to seek to bolster its defense capabilities through multilateral regional partnerships rather than relying on a single source of military and technical support.

The two officials did not disclose precise details about the nature of the Turkish technical and defense support being sent to Saudi Arabia, nor about its implementation timeline, while neither the Turkish nor the Saudi government has so far issued an official comment on these developments.

The Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement is gaining increasing importance amid the ongoing security tensions in the Gulf and Red Sea region, where the three signatory countries are seeking to form a more integrated defense cooperation framework to address common threats.