Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are set to hold a high-level urgent meeting under a joint defense pact to discuss support for Riyadh amid ongoing Houthi attacks from Yemen. This decision comes as Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority has urged troops to be prepared to sacrifice their lives in the fight against the Iran-aligned Houthi faction, according to reports from Reuters.
The Houthi forces have repeatedly targeted the Yemeni government backed by Riyadh and have launched attacks on Saudi territory, disrupting oil flows from the world’s largest energy exporter. These incidents are part of a broader conflict in the Middle East that escalated following U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran in February.
On Thursday, the Houthis claimed they launched dozens of missiles and drones targeting Saudi sites, while Saudi authorities reported intercepting six ballistic missiles attributed to the Iran-aligned group.
Previously, Saudi Arabia had issued emergency alerts for regions such as the holy city of Mecca, Jeddah, and Yanbu, the country’s main oil port on the Red Sea.
Saudi Mufti Issues Call to Arms
The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s highest religious figure, has made a rare and strongly worded statement urging soldiers stationed at the country’s borders to be ready to sacrifice their lives until the Houthi threat is eliminated. This message was conveyed in a statement released Thursday evening by the Saudi state news agency.
In his address, Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan drew heavily on verses from the Quran and the recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad regarding sacrifice and the fight in defense of God.
This appeal raises questions among experts about whether Saudi Arabia will launch a broader military operation alongside the Yemeni government forces it supports.
“Protecting this great nation… and punishing anyone who attempts to encroach even one centimeter of its territory is among the paramount duties and the most virtuous acts of devotion for which lives and souls can be sacrificed in gratitude to God,” the statement released on Thursday emphasized.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey Unite under Mecca Agreement
In light of the ongoing conflict, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey convened as part of the Mecca Defense Agreement, according to a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They condemned the attacks aimed at Mecca and other civilian targets while affirming Saudi Arabia’s right to self-defense.
“The ministers also discussed necessary measures for organizing an emergency meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to explore ways of supporting Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Defense Agreement, which stipulates that an attack on any party constitutes an attack on all parties,” the statement noted.
The meeting was announced shortly after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attempted to distance Iran from the Houthi group in an interview on Thursday with an American television network.
“The Houthi group is responsible for its own actions,” Pezeshkian stated during the “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Fox News, a day after addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Pause in U.S.-Iran Conflict with New Diplomatic Efforts
Pezeshkian’s interview and speech occurred during a pause in hostilities between the U.S. and Iran and amid a brief diplomatic attempt in New York, with Qatar acting as a mediator between the warring parties.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, stated Thursday that Tehran has conveyed to the United States, through intermediaries, a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if certain conditions set by Tehran are met.
According to Iran’s proposal, hostilities would cease on all fronts, including in Lebanon, within seven days. Additionally, the United States would lift the blockade on Iranian ports, unlock frozen Iranian funds, and abandon oil sanctions, he said.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened on the last day,” Araqchi remarked, adding that discussions with the United States regarding other issues, including Iran’s nuclear matter, would then commence.
A senior Iranian official informed Reuters on Wednesday that Tehran is reviewing Washington’s response to its peace proposals.
Oil prices fell on Friday as markets assessed the possibility of a ceasefire, even as the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz dropped to nine on Thursday, half the ten-day average.
Security experts have long debated the extent of Iran’s direct influence over the Houthis, a Shia Islamist movement that has evolved from a local insurgency into a powerful armed group controlling much of northern Yemen.
However, sources within the Yemeni, Iranian, and regional governments have indicated that the Houthi advance along the Yemeni Red Sea coast has been facilitated under the direct guidance of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
