Renewed Houthi advances near Bab-el-Mandeb and repeated missile strikes on Saudi territory have become the first practical test of the 2026 Mecca Pact linking Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.

Turkey has limited its role to technical and defensive support, while Pakistan has publicly denied reports of its fighter jets aiding Saudi operations in Yemen, consistent with a long pattern of quiet military help followed by official denials.

The article concludes that the pact is functioning as a flexible technology-and-security partnership rather than a joint expeditionary force, with each member calibrating its involvement to avoid direct confrontation with Iran or domestic political costs.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s southern neighbour, has been at war for years. On one side stand the Houthis, a rebel group armed and backed by Iran. On the other stand Yemeni forces supported, since 2015, by a Saudi-led military coalition. This autumn that old war flared again, becoming the first real test of a new three-nation alliance.

In September, the Houthis seized key positions near Bab-el-Mandeb, a narrow sea gateway through which ships pass between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In early October, Yemeni forces opposed to them, helped by Saudi fighter aircraft, struck back to recover these areas. Missiles and air raids have since fallen repeatedly on both countries. Riyadh airport, hit by a Houthi missile, was still shut on Monday, October 12, when the kingdom reported fresh missile and drone........

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