Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey defence chiefs meet in Riyadh amid regional tensions

Military chiefs from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met in Riyadh to review threats and boost defence coordination. The talks advanced the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement amid Houthi attacks and wider regional tensions.

In Short

• Military leaders reviewed threats facing Saudi Arabia amid regional instability
• They discussed deeper intelligence exchange and closer coordination between armed forces
• Officials condemned Houthi attacks on Makkah and key civilian infrastructure

The military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met in Riyadh on Friday to discuss strengthening intelligence sharing, military coordination and the integration of defence capabilities amid heightened regional security concerns.

The chiefs of defence forces and chiefs of general staff reviewed the security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia, according to statements issued by Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry and Pakistan's military.

The officials condemned attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting Makkah and Saudi Arabia's civilian and economic infrastructure. They also discussed measures to further strengthen cooperation among the armed forces of the three countries.

The meeting comes weeks after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, under which an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all three.

The agreement followed nearly a year of negotiations and was presented by the signatories as a framework to strengthen collective deterrence and military cooperation.

The trilateral defence coordination comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with the Iran war exposing security vulnerabilities among Gulf states and disrupting the movement of oil and other critical goods through the Strait of Hormuz.

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