The August 7 Saudi–Turkey–Pakistan “Mecca Pact” promised NATO-style solidarity, but after Houthi strikes on Saudi cities and energy sites from September 8, Ankara and Islamabad did not mount a clear military response; the pact’s unpublished fine print appears not to require automatic force.

The article says CENTCOM then convened Arab and Israeli chiefs in Germany and, with U.S. targeted aid (not U.S. strikes), mediated talks on Israeli ISR help for Riyadh against the Houthis—short of formal Saudi–Israel diplomatic ties.

It argues the Iran/Houthi threat is pushing covert Saudi–Israeli security cooperation further, even as Riyadh resists public normalization and the Houthis keep pressure on the Red Sea approache

On August 7, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement, known as the Mecca Pact.  At its public core is a political commitment modeled in part on NATO’s Article 5 – namely an armed attack on one party is to be regarded as an attack on all.

On September 8, the Houthis launched a major wave of attacks against Saudi Arabia, striking civilian and economic sites and energy infrastructure in several southern cities. Subsequently the country has been attacked time and again by the Houthis.  Civilian and economic facilities have been struck, King Khalid air base and Aramco facilities have been targeted.  

Why have Turkey and Pakistan not rushed to Saudi’s defense?

Rather like the small print on insurance policies, the Mecca Pact seems to exclude as much as it offers.  The publicly released description of the agreement, while making much of the NATO-like commitment, does not specify an automatic military response should one of the parties be attacked.  Nor does it publicly stipulate the circumstances in which troops must be deployed.  In fact, the full text of the agreement has not been released, so important questions about its scope and implementation remain obscure. 

Rather late in the day, on September 19, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudry, chief spokesman for Pakistan’s military, is reported as saying “Pakistan fully stands........

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