Syria weighing whether to join Mecca pact

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani of Syria has announced that his country is contemplating whether to join the Nato-style Mecca defence alliance, which currently includes Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The alliance was established when Saudi Arabia, under pressure from the Houthis in Yemen, signed a defence pact in Mecca in August. The pact stipulates that an attack on one member nation is considered an attack on all three.

The discussions about Syria's potential entry into the Mecca alliance are currently underway at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has been actively rallying support against the escalating Houthi attacks, which recently led to the closure of Riyadh's international airport for two weeks. In a bid to bolster its defenses, Saudi Arabia has received assistance from various allies, including France, which recently deployed troops to protect a key Saudi oil terminal from Houthi attacks.

Additionally, the UK government has announced plans to deploy British fighter planes to aid Saudi Arabia in its fight against the Houthis.