The Houthis’ ongoing attacks targeting Saudi Arabia are under the spotlight in Türkiye, which signed a key defense deal with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan last August. Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), reiterated that deal, which evolved into the Mecca Defense Alliance, and urged the government to throw all military support behind the defense of Saudi Arabia. “(Saudi Arabia) should be enabled to respond to acts violating international laws decisively and sensitively,” Bahçeli said at the parliamentary group meeting of his party in Ankara on Tuesday.
As civil war in Yemen flared up this summer, Houthis spread it to Saudi Arabia, prompting the central government in Yemen to launch an all-out operation against the group last week. Saudi Arabia’s oil and military installations were among the main targets of the Houthis. The attacks then spilled over into King Khalid Airport, leading to at least a dozen casualties. The civilian casualties drew international condemnation.
On Oct. 5, top ministers of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan gathered in Riyadh for the meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the alliance and decided to deploy military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia. The move is the most concrete step since the agreement was signed in August by the top officials of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to showcase the impact of the alliance in the broader region.
Drawing attention to the fact that Houthi attacks targeting the holy lands were serving the goal of destabilizing the region, Bahçeli said: “We cannot turn a blind eye to, remain silent about or tolerate attacks targeting our first qibla, Al-Aqsa Mosque, our qibla, the Kaaba or the blessed sanctuary of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Stressing that attacks targeting the holy lands could not be ignored under any circumstances, Bahçeli said all available diplomatic means should be used and, if these proved insufficient, deterrent force should be employed. “Under the Mecca Alliance, our country must be enabled to provide Saudi Arabia with all possible military support for its defense and to respond sensitively and resolutely to approaches that also violate international law,” he said. Emphasizing that escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia had caused heavy civilian casualties, Bahçeli said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure clearly constituted serious crimes under international and humanitarian law.
Bahçeli said attacks launched from Yemen against Saudi Arabia must be condemned in the strongest terms, recalling previous assaults. “These heinous attacks undoubtedly target the peace and stability of the entire region. The renewed escalation of the conflict that has persisted in Yemen for years threatens the security of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, posing serious risks to international trade, energy supply security and regional economic stability. At this difficult time for the Middle East, no action that deepens hostilities among regional countries, opens new fronts of conflict or costs civilian lives can be excused. Regardless of the justification offered, attacks targeting civilians can never be considered legitimate,” he said.
On Sunday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a stern statement condemning the Houthi attack on the airport and reiterated support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Bahçeli said Türkiye was committed to its obligations under the joint defense agreement.
“For years, our ancestors bore the honorable title of Hadimü'l-Haremeyn (Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques). (Ottoman general) Fahrettin Pasha’s legendary defense of Medina stands as a powerful testament to this sense of duty. It was on these lands that the heroic Turkish soldier, nurtured in the hearth of the Prophet, earned the title of Mehmetçik. Thank God, our faith, conviction and determination regarding our sacred lands have never waned, they remain alive in the hearts of our nation and are firmly embedded in the institutions and strength of our state,” he stated.
“We hope the Houthis will immediately halt their attacks, a lasting political solution will be established in Yemen, and regional disputes will be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Everyone in the region must act with restraint and remain guided by reason and sound judgment. No more Muslim blood should be shed, and our entire region must be able to live in an environment of peace and security,” Bahçeli added.
Calling for a united stance against those who turn sectarian differences into grounds for conflict, pit Muslim communities against one another, squander the region’s resources on wars and sow seeds of discord, Bahçeli said: “The Islamic world must stand united, and infighting among brothers must end immediately.”