Turkey sending technical, defensive support to Saudi Arabia to help fight Houthis, officials say
By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Timour Azhari ANKARA/RIYADH, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Turkey is sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia to help it fight Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, two officials said on Wednesday, after the NATO member and Pakistan pledged to act on the collective defence commitment of their newly formed alliance.
Turkey is dispatching defensive and technical aid to Saudi Arabia to aid in its fight against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to two officials on Wednesday. This follows pledges by Turkey and Pakistan to fulfill the collective defense commitment of their newly formed alliance, the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August. The alliance, comprising Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, is working towards setting parameters for cooperation in response to Houthi attacks.
On Monday, the nations announced their intention to swiftly implement collective defense commitments and ensure rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia. Turkey, with its second-largest army in NATO and a robust defense industry, has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed willingness to assist Riyadh in meeting its technical military needs.
The Turkish official with anonymity revealed that the support from Turkey would primarily be in the form of military equipment, intelligence sharing, and weapons systems, with no other deployment as part of the alliance thus far.
The nature and extent of Turkish support may increase after the ratification of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement by Turkey's parliament. A US official briefed on the situation stated that Turkey has decided to provide defensive capabilities, including strategic planning support, logistical assistance, drone operators, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during a meeting of the Mecca alliance in Riyadh, mentioned that discussions took place on providing Saudi Arabia support for defensive capabilities, involving the Defence Minister and Chief of General Staff.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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