Turkey and Pakistan Deploy Troops to Saudi Arabia Under Mecca Defense Pact

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan held an emergency summit in Riyadh on Tuesday, agreeing to immediately implement their joint defense pact following renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. Under the Mecca Defense Pact signed in August 2026, Turkish and Pakistani forces are to be rapidly stationed in the kingdom.

Mecca Pact: A New Middle East Alliance

The Mecca Defense Pact concluded in August includes a mutual defense clause modeled on NATO's Article 5: an armed attack on one signatory is treated as an attack on all. The three nations issued a joint statement declaring that agreed forces and military assets would be "rapidly stationed in the Kingdom." Specific troop numbers were not disclosed.

Supporting, Not Combat, Role for Pakistan and Turkey

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed to Geo News that Pakistani and Turkish forces are already "present in the operational area." Combat operations are currently the exclusive responsibility of Saudi troops, while Pakistan handles reconnaissance. Pakistani units have maintained a long-standing military partnership with Riyadh. The escalation of Iran-backed Houthi attacks appears to have prompted the three-nation alliance to move from a theoretical commitment to actual deployment.