RIYADH – Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir reaffirmed their commitment to jointly confront attacks targeting the Kingdom, as Riyadh faces an intensifying threat from Yemen’s Houthi movement.
Prince Khalid received Field Marshal Asim Munir in Riyadh, shortly after the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye held a high-level meeting to assess the security threats facing the Kingdom under the newly signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
Saudi defence minister said his meeting with Field Marshal Asim focused on the attacks targeting the holy city of Makkah as well as Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure. “We welcomed the outcomes of the Chiefs of Staff meeting under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement,” Prince Khalid said, adding that the two sides had reaffirmed their continued joint efforts to confront the attacks in accordance with the pact.
The meeting between the two senior officials came amid a sharp escalation in attacks against Saudi Arabia, with Houthi forces launching missile and drone strikes toward the Kingdom.
Saudi-led forces said early Saturday that they had intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones launched from Yemen, with the missiles reportedly directed toward Khamis Mushait and the drones toward Riyadh.
The latest attacks added urgency to Saudi Arabia’s military coordination with Pakistan and Türkiye, particularly as the three countries begin implementing their collective-defence commitments.
Before meeting Prince Khalid, Field Marshal Asim Munir joined Saudi Chief of General Staff Gen Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili and Türkiye’s Chief of General Staff Gen Selçuk Bayraktaroglu for talks in Riyadh.
The military chiefs reviewed the security situation and threats confronting Saudi Arabia and discussed ways to expand cooperation between their armed forces.
Their discussions covered enhanced intelligence sharing, closer military coordination and greater integration of defence capabilities. The three sides also condemned attacks targeting Makkah and Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure.
The commanders reaffirmed their commitment to collective defence and expressed their determination to protect Saudi Arabia’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also praised the Saudi armed forces for their vigilance and efforts to protect the Kingdom’s citizens, residents and critical infrastructure.
Under agreement, an armed attack against one of the three countries is to be regarded as an attack against all three. The pact also seeks to expand defence cooperation and strengthen collective deterrence. The latest meetings show that the three countries are now working to translate those commitments into practical military cooperation.
The first meeting of the pact’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee was held in Istanbul on August 31, where the three countries agreed to establish a permanent secretariat in Riyadh. Pakistan subsequently appointed retired Lt Gen Nauman Mahmood as the alliance’s first secretary general.
Riyadh discussions followed a meeting of the Saudi, Pakistani and Turkish foreign ministers in New York on Thursday on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss preparations for the military chiefs’ meeting and ways of supporting Saudi Arabia under the defence agreement.
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