Syria is considering the possibility of joining the "Mecca Accord Defense Alliance," according to Damascus Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. The alliance includes Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, and under its framework they have committed that any attack on one of them will be perceived as an attack on all three. Al-Shaibani stated that "no country in the region today can address its security alone. The security of the Arabian Gulf is part of the security of Syria's region. Syria stands alongside the Gulf states and with them in confrontation against cross-border militias."

