Houthi Attacks Expose Saudi Defense Pact Weakness as Mecca Alarms Sound

Saudi Arabia's defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan is being tested after Houthi attacks escalated, triggering alerts around Mecca for the first time in the current round of fighting. The agreement, signed last month, considers an attack on one of the three countries as an attack on all.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the drone attacks that damaged the East-West oil pipeline and wounded civilians, while Turkey denounced drones launched from Iraq against Saudi territory.

However, despite their condemnations, neither country has offered direct military assistance to Saudi Arabia. Dr. Yoel Guzansky, a former Israeli National Security Council official, suggests that Israel should offer discreet assistance to Saudi Arabia, including missile-defense capabilities, without making normalization a condition for help.