{
  "id": 17402491,
  "title": "Syria weighing whether to join Makkah pact: foreign minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/syria-weighing-whether-to-join-makkah-pact-foreign-minister-17402491",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T12:32:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40446807/syria-weighing-whether-to-join-makkah-pact-foreign-minister"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "MANAMA, Bahrain - Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced on Saturday that Damascus is currently deliberating whether to join the Makkah defence alliance comprising Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The Foreign Minister made the announcement during the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been actively rallying support against the growing Houthi attacks, which recently culminated in a major strike that crippled Riyadh's international airport for two weeks this month. In August, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the defence pact in Makkah, the holiest city of Islam. This pact stipulates that an attack on one nation is to be considered an attack on all three signatories. However, Pakistan and Turkey have not reported any instances of attacks on the Houthis.\n\nEarlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron paid an unexpected visit to Riyadh, where he announced that France had dispatched troops to safeguard a vital Saudi oil terminal from Houthi aggression. In October, the United Kingdom government also disclosed its intention to deploy British fighter planes to bolster Saudi Arabia's defenses against the Houthis.",
  "summary": "MANAMA: Syria’s top diplomat on Saturday said Damascus was considering whether to join Makkah defence alliance that binds Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. “Discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Makkah alliance,” Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has been rallying support against escalating Houthi…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Syria weighing whether to join Mecca pact",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/syria-weighing-whether-to-join-mecca-pact",
        "published": "2026-10-31T10:42:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "Syria weighing whether to join Makkah pact: foreign minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/syria-weighing-whether-to-join-makkah-pact-foreign-minister",
        "published": "2026-10-31T11:50:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Syria considering entry into Mecca defence pact, says foreign minister",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/syria-considering-entry-into-mecca-defence-pact-says-foreign-minister",
        "published": "2026-10-31T14:20:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}