Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan to Hold Urgent Meeting on Yemen Crisis

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are planning an urgent meeting of the military leaders of the three countries as the situation in Yemen worsens, with new attacks reported inside Saudi Arabia.

The decision for the meeting came after a meeting on Thursday in New York between the foreign ministers of the three countries.

The meeting included Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The discussions were particularly focused on how to support Saudi Arabia using the new joint defense agreement of the three countries.

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement was signed on August 7, and it stipulates that an attack on one of the three countries is considered an attack on all three nations.

The agreement will also serve as a basis for expanding defense cooperation and military coordination among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, as on August 31, the foreign and defense ministers and military leaders of the three countries met in Istanbul, where they agreed to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia and to enhance military cooperation.

The meeting of the three countries comes as Saudi Arabia has reported facing new attacks from Yemen, with Riyadh stating that its air defense systems intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at the cities of Taif and Yanbu.

Saudi officials also reported that security warnings were issued for several locations, but it was later stated that the threat had passed.

On the other hand, the Houthis in Yemen claimed to have carried out missile and drone attacks targeting a site they described as “sensitive” located in Riyadh and facilities owned by Saudi Aramco in the city of Yanbu.

Spokesman for the Saudi coalition, General Turki al-Malki, stated that if the attacks continue, they will respond strongly.

In Yemen, heavy fighting is ongoing in several directions, with government forces and Houthis clashing over strategic locations, and a report cited by AFP indicated that at least 150 fighters were killed in the battles 24 hours prior to Friday, of which 98 were from government forces and 52 were Houthi fighters.

The fighting has been reported around the Kahboub mountains and the area between Lahj and Taiz, near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The Houthis have also been reported to have strengthened their presence along the Red Sea coast, raising concerns about the security of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, which is a vital route for global trade.

The fighting has had a severe impact on civilians, with UNHCR stating that more than 230,000 people have been displaced from their homes since the beginning of September, while nearly 5.2 million people have been displaced internally within Yemen.