In response to limited Western backing, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met in New York to discuss activating the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement to counter Houthi attacks
TBS Report
13 October, 2026, 07:55 am
Last modified: 13 October, 2026, 08:04 am
Saudi Arabia is facing growing disappointment over the limited military and defence assistance provided by its Western allies amid escalating regional conflict with Yemen's Houthi movement.
Britain has supplied Saudi Arabia with a tanker aircraft, but several additional requests for defence support submitted by Riyadh in recent weeks have yet to be approved, says Bloomberg.
US President Donald Trump rejected explicit requests from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to launch military strikes against the Houthis. Despite the rejection, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington's intention to fulfil its commitments under a mutual defence agreement with the kingdom.
In response to limited Western backing, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met in New York to discuss activating the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement to counter Houthi attacks.
However, senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti publicly warned Turkey and Pakistan against intervening on Saudi Arabia's side.
The tensions have coincided with attacks on Saudi territory. A Houthi ballistic missile targeted Riyadh, while falling debris from an intercepted drone in Taif killed one person and injured two others.
The Houthi movement has also warned international airlines against operating within Saudi airspace as regional military tensions escalate.
Saudi Arabia's oil sector has faced additional pressure from wider regional disruptions, including conflict involving Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The country's crude oil production fell sharply to its lowest level since 1990.