Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Activate 'Mecca Pact' Over Yemen War

Is Pakistan's defense pact with Saudi Arabia rebuilding deterrence as Washington retreats or exposing whose lives are worth defending?

Published 5 days ago

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan Activate 'Mecca Pact' Over Yemen War

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Above: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan poses with his Pakistani and Saudi counterparts at a Mecca Agreement meeting in New York on Sept. 24. Image credit: Mustafa Hatipoglu/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

A defense pact that delivers when tested is worth more than a thousand communiques. Saudi Arabia is absorbing missiles and drones aimed at its airports, refineries and holy sites, and its partners have every reason to help it defend them. Allowing such attacks to go unanswered would only embolden proxies across the region. As Washington pulls back, regional powers backing Riyadh and enforcing collective defense is how credible deterrence can be restored.

The Media Line The Arab Weekly The Jerusalem Post Financial Times

Government-critical narrative

It’s striking how quickly the logistics fall into place when Saudi palaces and oil terminals are at risk. For years, military action to protect Palestinians was deemed too dangerous and too likely to trigger a wider regional war. Now jets and troops move within days to defend Riyadh while Yemen faces another military campaign and Gaza gets little beyond statements. That glaring double standard exposes the limits of Saudi Arabia's claim to lead the Muslim world.