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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey sign Nato-style defence pact amid deadly Houthi strikes in Yemen

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mohammed bin Salman and Shehbaz Sharif hold up folders containing the signed pact in an official office in Mecca
From left: the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, after signing the joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday. Photograph: Saudi Press Agency/Reuters

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have signed a mutual defence agreement, placing three of the Muslim world’s most influential states into a Nato-style pact, as Riyadh confronts attacks from Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen.

The Houthis and Saudi Arabia have increased their military exchanges in the past month and the first test of the tripartite pact long in preparation may come in Yemen.

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