Kuwaiti-Arab Support for Saudi Arabia and Consultations After Activation of 'Mecca Pact'
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh yesterday, while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held telephone consultations with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.
Kuwait expressed its strong condemnation and rejection of the brazen and notorious continued attacks by the Houthi militia against Makkah al-Mukarramah and Madinah al-Munawwarah. In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry described these attacks as “an affront to the feelings of Muslims worldwide and a serious escalation in violating the sanctity of holy sites.”
The ministry also condemned the attacks against Riyadh and several other cities in the Kingdom, as well as the targeting of civilians, civilian and economic assets, and ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, emphasizing Kuwait’s firm rejection of the recurrence of these cowardly hostile acts.
Kuwait reaffirmed its absolute solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for the Kingdom’s measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, stressing that the security of the Kingdom is an integral part of Kuwait’s security and the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.
Kuwait also reaffirmed its support for Yemen, its legitimate government, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, commending Saudi Arabia’s sustained efforts since 2014 to support initiatives aimed at reaching a comprehensive and sustainable political settlement.
For its part, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry stated in a declaration that the security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of Bahrain’s security and that of the GCC states under the Joint Defense Agreement.
The ministry expressed Bahrain’s full support for Saudi Arabia’s position and its efforts in leading the coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen, and for supporting the Presidential Leadership Council and the legitimate Yemeni government in ending the coup, restoring the state and its institutions, freeing Yemen from the threat of terrorism, and reaching a comprehensive political solution in accordance with the three reference points.
For its part, Qatar announced its support for Saudi Arabia’s measures to preserve sovereignty, security, and stability, emphasizing that the security of the Kingdom is an integral part of Qatar’s security and the broader Gulf system as a whole.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ibrahim al-Hajjawi said yesterday: “We support any initiative undertaken by regional countries as long as it aims to achieve stability, including the Mecca Alliance, the defensive pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.”
On the ground, Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that three people were injured in two attacks that targeted King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Najran the day before yesterday, in addition to causing material damage. At the same time, the Houthis claimed they had targeted Abha Civil Airport.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh yesterday, while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held telephone consultations with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.
Kuwait expressed its strong condemnation and rejection of the brazen and notorious continued attacks by the Houthi militia against Makkah al-Mukarramah and Madinah al-Munawwarah. In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry described these attacks as “an affront to the feelings of Muslims worldwide and a serious escalation in violating the sanctity of holy sites.”
The Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks against Riyadh and several other cities in the Kingdom, as well as the targeting of civilians, civilian and economic assets, and ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which threaten the security of the region and the safety of maritime navigation.
Kuwait reaffirmed its absolute solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for the Kingdom’s measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, stressing that the security of the Kingdom is an integral part of Kuwait’s security and the security of the GCC states.
The statement also reiterated Kuwait’s support for Yemen, its legitimate government, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, commending Saudi Arabia’s sustained efforts since 2014 to support initiatives aimed at reaching a comprehensive and sustainable political settlement.
Condemning in the strongest terms the continued brazen attacks by the terrorist militia on Saudi Arabia and its encroachment on the holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry stressed in a statement issued yesterday that Saudi security is an integral part of Bahrain’s security and that of the Cooperation Council states under the Joint Defense Agreement.
For its part, Qatar announced its support for Saudi measures to preserve sovereignty, security, and stability, emphasizing that the Kingdom’s security is an inseparable part of Qatar’s security and the broader Gulf system.
Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ibrahim Al-Haashimi said yesterday: “We support any initiative undertaken by regional countries as long as it aims to achieve stability, including the Mecca Alliance,” referring to the defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.
The Mecca Alliance decided the day before yesterday, following an emergency meeting of its Political and Defense Strategic Committee, to “immediately move to the practical implementation of joint defense commitments and take necessary measures to provide the agreed-upon forces and military capabilities and rapidly deploy them in the Kingdom in accordance with approved arrangements and the national legislations of the member states, thereby enhancing readiness, military integration, and collective capacity to confront and counter threats,” according to the meeting’s final statement.
The Saudi Cabinet, yesterday, appreciated the outcomes of the Mecca Alliance meeting and reaffirmed the Kingdom’s full support for the Presidential Leadership Council, the legitimate government, and the Yemeni people “to end the coup in this beloved country and restore the state and its institutions from the terrorist Houthi militia, which has chosen military escalation as an alternative to peace.”
In Washington, U.S. House of Representatives member Joe Wilson said the Mecca Alliance between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan has the potential to become the “NATO of the Middle East.”
The Republican congressman wrote on the X platform: “I express my gratitude to our allies Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for activating the alliance in the face of Iranian-backed Houthi aggression.”
Hours after the activation of the Mecca Agreement, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that Prince Mohammed and al-Sharaa discussed recent developments in the region and reviewed the prospects for bilateral relations, areas of cooperation, and promising opportunities to develop ties across various fields.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, as part of continuous communication and coordination, during which he reiterated Egypt’s condemnation of all attacks on the Kingdom and its full support for its security and stability.
Prince Faisal also discussed with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, the latest regional developments, emphasizing the importance of continuing coordination and consultation to support and enhance joint efforts to achieve security and stability in the region. Safadi expressed solidarity and full backing for Riyadh in all measures it takes.
On the ground, Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that three people were injured in two attacks that targeted King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan and Najran International Airport the day before yesterday, causing material damage, while the Houthis claimed they had targeted Abha Civil Airport.
Also, the spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy, Turki Al-Maliki, announced late the day before yesterday the thwarting of a Houthi plot for imminent attacks on waterways in the southern Red Sea, during a military operation carried out by his naval forces in the Al-Hudaydah governorate.
In separate statements, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, and the Arab Ministers of Interior Council strongly condemned the Houthi militia’s attacks on the airports in Jizan and Najran, describing them as a serious escalation, a blatant violation of international laws and norms, and a direct threat to the safety of civilians and the security of air navigation.
Al-Budaiwi stressed the necessity for the international community to adopt a firm stance against these attacks, hold the perpetrators accountable, and work to halt these terrorist practices that threaten regional security and stability, as well as the safety of air navigation and civilian infrastructure.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the Houthi militia’s attacks and the targeting of infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including oil facilities and airports, and reaffirmed her solidarity with the Kingdom and its partners in the Gulf region. She added that “regional security will be at the core of our discussions with the GCC this month,” referring to the upcoming Gulf-Europe summit scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia.
In Yemen, the army continued its wide-ranging “Yemen Dawn” operation to reclaim territories controlled by the Houthi group. Yesterday, it managed to seize new positions south of Taiz Governorate and recapture three strategic mountains following fierce battles.
As the scope of operations expanded and the conflict shifted from containing the rebels’ capabilities to targeting their key power nodes and deployment sites, the Yemeni army achieved rapid advances along the coast bordering the Bab al-Mandab Strait, reaching the city of Al-Mukha, and expelling the Iran-aligned Houthis from most of the areas they had seized last month.
