Syria weighing whether to join Mecca pact: foreign minister

Manama, Bahrain - Syria's top diplomat indicated on Saturday that Damascus is contemplating whether to join the NATO-style Mecca defense alliance consisting of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The Arab nation, currently facing intense pressure from Yemen's Houthis, is a staunch supporter of the Syrian government that ousted former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani disclosed this during a conference at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has been actively rallying support to counter the growing Houthi assaults, including a significant strike that temporarily shut down Riyadh's international airport last month. In August, Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia signed a defense pact in Mecca, an Islamic holy city, which stipulates that an attack on one member is deemed an attack on all three.

Neither Turkey nor Pakistan has declared any attacks on the Iran-backed Houthis. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron paid an unexpected visit to Riyadh and announced that France had dispatched troops to bolster Saudi Arabia's oil defense.