Saudi Arabia's defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan faces growing scrutiny as the Houthi conflict escalates, with questions remaining over military deployments and the allies' roles.
A strike by Houthi terrorists on the international airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, has turned the desert kingdom’s efforts to mobilize security partners into an immediate test: Can new and existing ties protect the kingdom without widening the conflict? The attack killed 12 people and wounded an additional 309, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities. The Houthis have since warned airlines, passengers, and airport workers to avoid Saudi airports and airspace.
The consequences extend beyond the casualties. Riyadh’s airport remained closed on Sunday, and airlines canceled or suspended flights after the Houthis warned that Saudi airspace had become a theater of military operations. The October 10 strike was the third attack on the airport that week. Earlier attacks there killed three people, including a Saudi pilot. The Houthis have also threatened Saudi energy facilities.
The escalation is pulling Saudi Arabia back into a war it had spent years trying to contain. A 2022 truce between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia largely held until fighting resumed in July. Since then, the Houthis have advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. At the same time, forces fighting on behalf of the internationally recognized government of Yemen have launched a counteroffensive with Saudi air support and other military backing.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government says its forces have retaken strategic positions near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; the Houthis dispute those claims, and the extent of the government’s gains remains unclear. The coalition’s spokesman said 100 aircraft took part in the operation and claimed 324 high-value targets were destroyed; neither claim has been independently verified as of Sunday.
The Houthis have claimed control of territory and islands near the strait, including Perim Island, while government forces say they have pushed back.
Bab el-Mandeb connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. The Houthis’ positions near the strait give them greater ability to monitor and threaten shipping, though they do not control the passage in a way that lets them stop all traffic. Riyadh must protect its cities and energy infrastructure while backing a campaign to regain ground along a vital maritime route.
Saudi Arabia’s response presents a difficult choice. Restraint could leave the kingdom’s airspace exposed and weaken the deterrent message of its new partnerships. A deeper campaign could prolong the fighting and put Saudi forces and their partners at greater risk.
Saudi defense pact with Turkey, Pakistan faces test amid Houthi escalation
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with Turkey and Pakistan is one part of that calculation. The three countries signed it in August. On October 5, their joint committee said it would begin implementing collective-defense commitments and provide agreed military capabilities for rapid deployment in Saudi Arabia. The public statement did not identify the forces involved or give a timetable, leaving open how the commitment would work in practice.
Turkey has described the pact as defensive. Reuters reported, citing officials, that Turkish support would be mainly technical and defensive. The announcement left operational questions unanswered, including the size and command of any deployment. It is too early to judge what the agreement will deliver or whether either partner will join the fighting in Yemen. A collective-defense commitment does not itself establish participation in offensive operations.
Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping raises concerns for Israel's Eilat port
For Israel, the most immediate connection is the vulnerability of Red Sea shipping. Houthi attacks have kept international shipping lines from returning to regular direct sailings to Eilat. Recent advances near Bab el-Mandeb have renewed concern about the port’s recovery. Some activity has resumed through cargo unloaded in Aqaba, Jordan, but the direct route has not returned. The threat to shipping is already an Israeli economic and security concern, whether or not Saudi Arabia and Israel expand their contacts.
Israeli media have separately reported that Israel has provided or discussed intelligence assistance to Saudi Arabia through US Central Command. Those accounts rely on regional diplomatic or security sources; neither government has publicly confirmed the details. They do not establish a formal alliance or Israeli participation in the fighting.
The Riyadh strike is an early test of Saudi Arabia’s emerging security network. The broader question is whether Riyadh can protect its cities and trade routes while reversing Houthi gains without turning the renewed campaign into a deeper regional war. For Israel, the consequences will also be felt in terms of the safety and viability of the Red Sea routes on which Eilat depends.