The latest

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are preparing an urgent meeting of their military chiefs as Yemen’s Houthis intensify missile and drone attacks on the Kingdom. The talks will be the first major operational test of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, while disruption across the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz is tightening tanker availability and raising the cost and time required to move Saudi crude to international refineries.

Details

• Pact consultations: The meeting follows consultations among the three foreign ministers under the agreement. They condemned attacks targeting Mecca and other civilian sites and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself. The framework stipulates that an armed attack against one member constitutes an attack against all three.
• Support options: Neither Ankara nor Islamabad has announced a full-scale intervention against the Houthis. Initial support could instead cover intelligence-sharing, air defence, logistics, military technology and coordination, testing how far the three governments are prepared to convert their collective-defence commitment into practice.
• Missiles intercepted: The Houthis claimed dozens of missile and drone launches against Saudi targets. Saudi authorities said they intercepted six ballistic missiles, while emergency warnings covered Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu, a major oil-export port on the Red Sea.
• Tanker bottleneck: Commercial sources and analysts said ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman had reached capacity after Saudi Arabia redirected more exports toward the Red Sea. Greater demand for very large crude carriers has reduced tanker availability, lifted freight costs and lengthened cargo journeys.
• Hormuz traffic: Only nine vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, around half the average over the previous ten days. Before the conflict, roughly 20% of global oil exports passed through the strait, underscoring its role in energy flows.
• Iranian connection: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Houthis were responsible for their own actions. Government and regional sources, however, described Revolutionary Guard involvement in supporting Houthi operations and advances in Yemen, linking the confrontation to wider regional tensions.
• Diplomatic proposal: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran sent Washington, through intermediaries, a proposal to reopen Hormuz after a seven-day end to hostilities, lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports, releasing frozen Iranian funds and removing oil sanctions. Nuclear talks would follow.

Background

Saudi Arabia remains closely connected to the United States and other Western powers, while the trilateral pact adds a regional layer. Pakistan brings a longstanding defence relationship with Riyadh; Türkiye contributes military capabilities alongside growing political and economic ties with the Kingdom.

What’s next

At their urgent meeting, the three military chiefs will discuss support for Riyadh. The immediate indicator will be whether they announce intelligence, air-defence, logistics or military-technology cooperation.