Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan to Hold Urgent Joint Defence Meeting as Houthi Attacks on Kingdom Intensify, Disrupt Oil Flows

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan will convene an urgent high-level meeting under a joint defence pact to coordinate support for the kingdom amid escalating attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, according to Business Standard reporting on September 25, 2026. The trilateral consultation comes as Houthi forces have launched repeated strikes against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and fired into Saudi territory, disrupting oil flows from the world's largest energy exporter as part of the wider West Asia conflict that began when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February. The Times of Israel reported on September 24 that Houthi forces claimed to have launched missile and drone attacks on what they described as a sensitive target in Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in the Red Sea city of Yanbu. The meeting reflects growing concern among Gulf states and their allies over the expansion of the conflict, with the Houthis having already seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast including the strategic Mokha port city and key islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this month, giving the group enhanced surveillance and interdiction capabilities over one of the world's busiest waterways. Tehran has sought to distance itself from the rapid Houthi advance even as the group continues to act in coordination with Iranian interests. The UK announced it is offering Saudi Arabia air-to-air refueling support for Saudi planes on defensive missions to help repel Houthi attacks, according to Just Security reporting on September 24.

The urgency of the trilateral meeting underscores the strategic risk the Houthi offensive poses not only to Saudi Arabia's security and energy infrastructure but to the broader regional balance, with Pakistani troops and fighter jets already deployed to the kingdom under the mutual defence agreement signed in September 2025. The coordination among Riyadh, Ankara, and Islamabad signals an effort to contain the conflict's ex

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Sources: Business Standard (September 25, 2026), The Times of Israel liveblog (September 24, 2026), Just Security Early Edition (September 24, 2026). Cross-referenced with CFR Global Conflict Tracker and 2026 Yemen offensives documentation.