Date: September 24, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are preparing for an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence agreement as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement intensifies missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and advances against the Saudi-backed government in Yemen.
The three countries’ foreign ministers met within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and discussed arrangements for a meeting of their military chiefs of staff. The agreement, signed by the three countries in August, states that an attack against one of its parties constitutes an attack against all parties. The ministers condemned attacks targeting Mecca and other civilian sites while affirming Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself.
The developments mark a further escalation in a wider Middle East conflict that has disrupted energy supplies and shipping routes. The Houthis said they launched dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets on Thursday, while Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the group.
Saudi authorities had earlier issued emergency alerts covering areas including Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu, a major Red Sea oil port. The attacks have also affected Saudi oil flows, adding pressure to energy markets already facing disruption because of the conflict involving Iran and the United States.
Saudi Arabia’s top religious authority also issued an unusually forceful message to the country’s military. Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan called on soldiers stationed along the kingdom’s borders to remain prepared to fight the Houthis and said they should be ready to sacrifice their lives in defence of Saudi territory. The statement also called for the Saudi-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government to regain authority over the entire country.
The statement came as Houthi forces have made significant advances in Yemen. According to Reuters, Yemeni government forces lost control of the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb waterway to the Houthis about two weeks ago. The development has increased concern about shipping through the Red Sea and the security of routes connecting the region with global markets.
Against this backdrop, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to distance Tehran from responsibility for the Houthis’ latest actions. In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Pezeshkian said the Houthis were responsible for their own actions.
His comments came a day after he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he said Iran remained open to diplomacy amid the wider conflict with the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also said Tehran had transmitted a proposal to Washington through intermediaries that could lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian conditions were met.
Under the Iranian proposal, Araqchi said hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end within seven days. He said the United States would also need to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds and waive oil sanctions. If those conditions were met, he said, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened on the final day of the proposed arrangement, followed by negotiations on other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
The conflict has created overlapping threats to two major energy and shipping chokepoints: the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Before the war, Hormuz carried about one-fifth of the world's oil exports, while Houthi activity around the Red Sea has threatened commercial shipping between Europe and Asia.
The Houthis' renewed campaign has therefore become a regional security issue extending beyond Yemen. Saudi Arabia is seeking support from Turkey and Pakistan through their new defence framework, while China has previously urged Iran to use its influence with the Houthis to help prevent the conflict from spreading further along energy routes that are important to the Chinese economy.
The immediate direction of the conflict remains uncertain as diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran continue alongside the fighting in Yemen and other parts of the region. Any further escalation around Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea or the Bab el-Mandeb could add to existing pressure on global energy supplies and international shipping.