ISLAMABAD: The military chiefs of Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia met in Riyadh on Friday for urgently convened talks under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement as the kingdom faced a sharp escalation in missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement.
The meeting followed a decision by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in New York on Thursday to convene the chiefs of staff and examine ways of supporting the kingdom under the trilateral defence pact.
No further details on the discussions or any decisions reached were immediately released.
It was reported earlier that Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkiye’s Chief of General Staff Gen Selçuk Bayraktaroglu would meet Saudi Chief of General Staff Gen Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili in Riyadh.
Discussions come amid Houthis’ missile, drone attacks on Saudi territory
A plane from Nur Khan Airbase carrying the Pakistani delegation landed in Riyadh shortly after 2pm on Friday, according to a source. However, there was no immediate official statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Meanwhile, the Turkish Defence Ministry explicitly said Gen Bayraktaroglu would travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to attend the meeting of the chiefs of general staff under the Makkah Defence Alliance.
The Pakistani Foreign Office said the ministers at their meeting in New York reviewed progress towards establishing the General Secretariat, committees and working groups under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and preparations for beginning their work.
“The ministers also discussed plans to convene an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to explore ways to assist the Kingdom under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which stipulates that an attack against any one of its parties shall be considered an attack against all parties,” the Foreign Office said.
The Saudi foreign ministry gave a similar account, saying the meeting had addressed preparations for an “urgent session” of the three countries’ chiefs of staff to “explore measures supporting the Kingdom” under the agreement. The Turkish defence ministry also echoed this understanding.
The meeting was the first gathering of the three military chiefs since the alliance came under an immediate test, with Ansar Allah attacks reaching Saudi territory and prompting Riyadh to seek support from its partners.
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in Makkah on Aug 7 and the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee was subsequently held in Istanbul on Aug 31, where the three countries agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Riyadh and decided that Pakistan would provide the secretary general for its first three-year term.
Pakistan appointed retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary general on Wednesday, taking another step towards putting the institutional structure of the pact in place.
The New York ministerial meeting indicated that the three governments wanted the military chiefs to examine practical options. Therefore, the Riyadh meeting was expected to begin that process, although any decision on specific deployments or military assistance would depend on the Saudi requirement and the agreement reached by the three sides.
The Ansar Allah fighters have in recent days stepped up missile and drone attacks against Saudi territory, including attacks involving Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu, while Saudi authorities have reported interceptions of ballistic missiles. The escalation has also affected civilian and economic facilities and prompted particular concern after missiles were claimed to be directed towards the vicinity of the holy city of Makkah.
The three commanders were expected to exchange assessments of the evolving threat, including the nature and scale of Ansar Allah missile and drone capability, the vulnerability of Saudi territory and critical infrastructure and the level of support Riyadh may require from Pakistan and Turkiye.
Turkiye has already signalled its willingness to address Saudi military requirements, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan saying last week that Ankara was ready to help with “military needs, especially on some technical issues”. Pakistan has also repeatedly affirmed its commitment to the agreement.
Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026
