Pakistani Defense Minister: Time to Activate the 'Mecca Agreement' Amid Escalating Houthi Militia Attacks

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated that the time has come to implement the Mecca Agreement, amid the recent escalation in Houthi militia attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.

In remarks made to the local Geo TV channel, the minister affirmed that Islamabad’s commitment to protecting Saudi Arabia and the holy sites remains steadfast and ongoing. He clarified that this protection constitutes a moral and doctrinal obligation undertaken by Pakistan, even in the absence of any formal agreement, and is not contingent upon the existence or non-existence of the Mecca Agreement.

The Pakistani minister revealed that Islamabad had conveyed a Saudi message to Tehran, reflecting growing concerns over the attacks carried out by Houthi forces.

Regarding Iran’s stance on this escalation, the minister ruled out the possibility that Tehran, as a state, would support the Houthis in a manner that could open a new war front in the region.

He added that Pakistan would continue its efforts to prevent the conflict from widening and spreading to additional fronts.

For its part, the Turkish Ministry of Defense expressed its condemnation of the Houthi drone attack on Saudi Arabia. Regarding the Mecca Agreement, the ministry clarified that the coalition is based on collective defense and deterrence and does not target any country, reaffirming its ongoing efforts to institutionalize the coalition.

Amid military confrontations between the Houthi militia on one side and the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition supporting legitimacy on the other, coalition spokesperson Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki announced that a Houthi attack had targeted Mecca.

In a statement, he said that the Kingdom had successfully intercepted and destroyed an enemy drone launched by the Houthis earlier this week before it entered the restricted airspace of Mecca, describing the act as “despicable.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his strong condemnation of the “treacherous and despicable” drone attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca in a post on the X platform, calling on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid the brink of escalation.