{
  "id": 6315752,
  "title": "'We will honour it': Asif warns of Makkah defence pact's activation after Houthi strikes against Saudi Arabia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/we-will-honour-it-asif-warns-of-makkah-defence-pacts-activation-after",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T12:46:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Express Tribune - Pakistan",
    "slug": "the-express-tribune-pakistan",
    "url": "https://tribune.com.pk/story/2628168/asif-warns-of-makkah-defence-pacts-activation-after-houthi-strikes-against-saudi-arabia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned on Tuesday that any attack on a member country of the Makkah Defence Alliance — a joint defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye — would be considered an attack on all three nations and hinted at its activation after attacks on the kingdom. The warning came as Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted cities and economic infrastructure in southern Saudi Arabia, injuring at least 73 civilians and raising concerns about the conflict spilling over into the broader region. Pakistan condemned the attacks against Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran, stating they were a blatant violation of Saudi Arabia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Asif reiterated his country's unwavering support for the kingdom's sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and prosperity. He emphasized that any unprovoked aggression or spillover of the Yemen conflict into Saudi Arabia would trigger the agreement. Asif confirmed he had no information about any discussions between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia regarding the recent attacks, explaining that the pact provided for mutual assistance in the event of aggression. He emphasized that it was not an offensive pact that would prompt the three countries to attack each other unilaterally. Instead, if any member state faced aggression, all three would respond collectively. Asif expressed hope that the situation would stabilize and tensions would subside, while cautioning the Houthis that their internal affairs could have consequences if they sought to export the conflict beyond Yemen.",
  "summary": "Says pact will become operative if aggression against any member state takes place",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}