The Mecca alliance meets the Red Sea – Saudi Arabia’s new defense pact faces its first major test

When Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to a mutual defense pact in August, it was principally seen as a political commitment. The “Mecca alliance,” as it was dubbed, stipulated that an armed attack on one would be treated as an attack on all three, accompanied by deeper military cooperation.

That pact is no longer simply a promise on paper. Within weeks, the three governments began building out the institutions and military mechanisms needed to give that commitment practical meaning

Photo by Turkish Foreign Ministry via Getty Images

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