An urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey is being arranged to discuss military support for the kingdom, as the Saudi Grand Mufti called on soldiers to remain prepared to fight the Iran-backed Houthis.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the kingdom’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York on Thursday.
According to Saudi state media, the three ministers discussed arrangements for an “urgent meeting of their military chiefs to explore ways to support Saudi Arabia” under the Makkah Defence Agreement, which stipulates that an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all of them.
Pakistan and Iran discuss de-escalation and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Pakistan and Iran discuss de-escalation and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
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The ministers strongly condemned attacks targeting Makkah and civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, and praised the Saudi armed forces for their response.
In a rare message, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan called on soldiers stationed on the front lines to “remain permanently prepared to carry out” their duty, urging them to “listen to and obey the rulers and your commanders in the field”, and execute orders.
“Protecting this great entity, guarding its borders, repelling aggression against it and punishing anyone who seeks to violate even an inch of its territory are … among the greatest duties and acts of devotion, for which lives and souls are sacrificed,” he added.
“We advise our sons stationed on the front lines to remain patient, steadfast and vigilant … We ask God Almighty to grant all of you support, protect our country and beloved Yemen from all evil, and bring an end to the Houthi group and those who assist and support it.”
On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis, while air defences thwarted attempts to target the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu.
The Houthis have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia amid a wider escalation involving Iran-aligned armed groups in the Middle East. An attack blamed on Iran-aligned fighters in Iraq last week halted the flow of oil through Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline. The pipeline became the kingdom’s main conduit for oil and gas exports after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz when the current war broke out.
While Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, the Houthis control the capital Sanaa and large parts of the country. Fighting reduced significantly after a truce took effect in 2022 but hostilities have risen sharply in recent weeks.
The escalation has also raised concerned over security and safety of passage in another crucial waterway – Bab El Mandeb – after the Houthis took control of most of Yemen’s western coast in recent weeks.
A coalition of 80 countries on Thursday called for the full restoration of maritime navigation in the Arabian Gulf, warning that restrictions imposed by Iran and renewed attacks by Houthi rebels were threatening international trade and regional security.
France will send troops and defence systems to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, which is key for energy transport, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.
“This is the agreement we have finalised with the Saudis: we are going to send military resources, that is to say, soldiers, radar systems and defence systems, to protect this site – not to get us involved in any conflicts, but to protect this site,” Mr Macron told TF1 and France 2 TV.
