Turkey is sending mainly defensive and technical military support to Saudi Arabia as Riyadh confronts Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, including drone operators, intelligence assistance and help strengthening Saudi defenses, officials said Wednesday.
The support comes as Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia move to activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all three.
The countries said Monday they had agreed to begin implementing their collective defense commitments immediately and ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia following a series of Houthi attacks.
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest military and a major domestic defense industry, has condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia and said it is prepared to help meet Riyadh’s technical military needs. Ankara has also agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition aimed at protecting navigation in the Red Sea.
A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Ankara’s assistance so far consisted of military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, adding that no broader Turkish military deployment had taken place under the alliance.
Officials have said some Turkish assistance, including air defense systems, is for now being provided largely through bilateral arrangements because Turkey’s parliament has not yet formally ratified the three-way defense pact. They said the scale and scope of support could expand once ratification is completed.
A U.S. official briefed on the matter said Turkey had so far chosen to provide capabilities that were broadly defensive, including strategic planning and logistical support.
The assistance also included drone operators, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as help fine-tuning defensive measures, the official said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after an extraordinary meeting of the alliance in Riyadh that the three countries had discussed what assistance could be provided to improve Saudi Arabia’s defensive capabilities.
“We had our Defence Minister and Chief of General Staff with us, and they especially provided very fruitful views on military issues, operational issues, and technical matters,” Fidan told Turkish state media Monday.
Footage released by pro-Saudi Yemeni government forces, which they say shows their troops advancing toward the town of Dhubab near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
(Photo: Reuters)
Pakistani and regional officials have also said Turkey and Pakistan have supplied military equipment that Saudi Arabia is using in Yemen.
The stepped-up support comes as fighting intensifies around one of the world’s most important maritime routes. This week, Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi-led coalition air power, launched a counteroffensive aimed at retaking strategic territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The narrow waterway links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a major international shipping route for energy exports and global trade.
Officials said last week that Saudi Arabia was weighing a wider offensive against the Houthis, with options including a push along Yemen’s western coast to secure the Red Sea shipping route or a broader assault on several fronts.
The latest moves mark the first major test of the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense framework, which has rapidly moved from a political agreement toward operational military coordination as the Houthi conflict escalates.