Saudi-Backed Yemen Leader Calls for General Mobilization as Turkey and Pakistan Join Military Talks

The escalation of the Yemen war has crossed from a domestic insurgency into a multi-national conflict, a magnitude measured by the sheer number of sovereign militaries now coordinating a direct response: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. On Friday, Yemen's Riyadh-based President Rashad al-Alimi declared a general mobilization of his armed forces, while defense chiefs from the three allied nations convened in Riyadh to activate a mutual defense pact against advancing Houthi forces.[1][5]

The mobilization order from al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, calls on Yemeni citizens to join the government's armed forces to halt a rapid series of Houthi territorial gains. The Iran-aligned rebel group recently seized the strategic port city of Mocha and swept across swaths of Yemen's Red Sea coast, effectively imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia's southern maritime routes. Alongside the call to arms, al-Alimi offered a general amnesty to Houthi fighters who abandon the rebellion.[3][4][5]

As Yemeni government forces attempt to mount a counter-offensive, Saudi Arabia has triggered the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a trilateral pact signed on August 7, 2026, with Turkey and Pakistan. The treaty stipulates that an attack on any one of the three nations is treated as an attack on all. The activation follows a barrage of Houthi missile and drone strikes aimed at Saudi territory, including a claimed strike on a sensitive target in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.[1][2]

Saudi air defenses intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu on Thursday, prompting emergency alerts across Mecca, Jeddah, and Yanbu. In response, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, Sheikh Saleh Al Fawzan, issued a rare public statement calling on soldiers at the front lines to "be ready to lay down their lives to fight the Houthis until the group is ousted from power."[1][2]

The military coordination accelerated following a September 24 meeting in New York between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. A Saudi government statement released after the talks confirmed the ministers arranged the urgent Riyadh summit to discuss military support, noting the pact dictates that "an attack against any one of the parties constitutes an attack against all parties."[1][2][6]

Turkey's Defense Ministry confirmed that Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu traveled to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet his counterparts. Pakistan's chief of defense forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was also dispatched to the Saudi capital to finalize the operational details of the mutual defense agreement.[1]

Despite the high-level military deployments, both Ankara and Islamabad have maintained a cautious public stance regarding the exact nature of their involvement. Turkish state media characterized the discussions as technical negotiations aimed at institutionalizing the pact, rather than an immediate declaration of joint combat operations. The hesitation reflects direct warnings issued by Houthi leadership to both non-Arab nations against intervening in the Arabian Peninsula.[1]

The military escalation effectively collapses a parallel diplomatic track. Just days prior, Saudi Arabia had been seeking a secret peace deal with the Houthis to secure its southern border. Now, the conflict is drawing in external powers, expanding the allied military footprint in the region as the Yemeni government prepares for a protracted ground campaign. The immediate question facing Riyadh is whether Turkey and Pakistan will commit ground forces to the Arabian Peninsula, or limit their involvement to logistical and air defense support.[1][5]