Saudi, Turkey, Pakistan: Deal for joint support amid regional war

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey have signed a joint defense agreement in Mecca. The pact states that an armed attack on any one of the three countries will be considered an attack on all. The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any aggression.

The deal was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to Dawn, Erdogan said the alliance is open to other friendly nations. Pakistan's Prime Minister hopes the accord will serve as a "shield of peace".

The agreement comes as Saudi Arabia faces escalating attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The Houthis carried out an attack on Saudi forces at a base in eastern Yemen, according to the group's spokesperson, on the same day the agreement was signed.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Egypt Independent, Dawn, Live Mint, Japan Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.