“If there is unprovoked aggression, or a spillover of whatever is happening in Yemen into Saudi Arabia, definitely the Mecca agreement will become operational,” Asif told Pakistani media outlet Geo News on Tuesday night. “There should be no doubt about that. We are bound by the terms and conditions of this pact, and … we will honour them in case there is a need.”
The warning came after the Yemen-based Houthi group carried out attacks in southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Riyadh said at least 73 people were wounded as fighting intensified in Yemen between the Iran-aligned group and forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
Leaders from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca agreement last month, committing to reinforce collective deterrence against any aggression.
The agreement mirrors a key NATO stipulation under which an attack on one member is to be considered an attack on the entire group. However, the precise mechanisms for implementing the pledge have yet to be clarified.
The pact was reached as the three countries face heightened regional frictions, including concerns over Israel’s expanding military capabilities and Iran’s growing influence across the Middle East.
According to the 2026 Global Firepower Index, which assesses the military strength of 145 countries, the three states collectively field close to 1.4 million active troops, around 3,400 military aircraft, 6,000 tanks and more than 340 naval assets.
On Wednesday, the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that Saudi Arabian warplanes carried out a series of air strikes across Yemen’s Marib, al-Jawf and Taiz governorates.
The broadcaster said five air strikes targeted the Khab wa Sha’af district in al-Jawf, while 10 other air attacks struck areas in the Sirwah district of Marib and five hit the al-Barh area in Taiz. There was no immediate comment from Saudi forces.
The latest hostilities mark the most serious escalation since a United Nations-brokered truce halted large-scale fighting in 2022.
The war in Yemen began in 2014 after the Houthis took Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. Diplomats had hoped the truce would develop into a lasting political settlement, but those efforts have faltered amid regional tensions triggered by the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.
Fighting resumed in July when government forces struck the Houthi-controlled airport in Sanaa, preventing an aircraft from Iran from landing. Last week, the Houthis launched a major offensive, seeking to advance through western Taiz and southern Hodeidah towards the port city of al-Makha (Mocha) and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
The Houthis had declared a blockade against Saudi vessels transiting the waterway, a vital shipping corridor between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The strait has gained new significance for Saudi oil exports since Iran began restricting passage through the Strait of Hormuz at the outset of the US and Israel’s war on the country.
With Pakistan stating that the Mecca agreement could become operational if the Yemen conflict spills into Saudi Arabia, the latest escalation has placed the pact’s collective-defence commitment under renewed focus.
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