Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani Defense Pact Treats Attacks as Collective Threat

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a defense agreement that treats an attack on one as an attack on all three. The deal was finalized in Mecca by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The 'Mecca Joint Defense Agreement' brings together oil-rich Saudi Arabia, nuclear-armed Pakistan, and Turkey with the second-largest army in NATO. This cooperation aims to increase mutual defense and deterrence at a time of growing regional uncertainty and threats from the war in Iran.

Saudi Arabia has been seeking to diversify its defense partnerships due to past attacks on critical infrastructure and oil facilities. The agreement also comes as tensions rise between Turkey and Israel over Gaza and other regional conflicts, including the war in Lebanon.