Mecca pact committee meets in Riyadh as regional tensions riseWorld

“The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage reached in the Alliance’s institutionalisation efforts,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

<h2>Yemen and Iran on the agenda</h2> The talks come a day after the leader of Yemen&#8217;s Saudi-backed government announced the beginning of a major military operation against the Iran-backed Houthis, aimed at seizing the territory under their control.

Pakistan&#8217;s foreign minister said on Friday that Iran had suggested engaging Yemen&#8217;s Houthis politically after attacks by the group — an idea that the Mecca defence pact committee would discuss at the Riyadh meeting this week, according to Reuters.

The meeting underscores the deepening security coordination between the three countries as the wider regional confrontation surrounding Iran continues to spill over into Yemen and across vital shipping lanes.

The Riyadh meeting comes against the backdrop of a sharp escalation in Yemen. On Sunday, Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi announced the start of major military operations to retake territory held by the Iran-backed Houthis, saying all opportunities for de-escalation had been exhausted. Regional and western officials had told Reuters that Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies were planning an assault in which the Saudis would lead aerial combat and Yemeni forces would fight on the ground.

At the same time, the Houthis claimed they had launched ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco sites in Riyadh and the Khurais area. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia. The exchanges underline why the pact&#8217;s strategic political and defence committee is meeting now, as member states weigh both military and political tracks for the region&#8217;s overlapping crises.

The Turkish statement said the ministers would also review how far the alliance has progressed in building its permanent institutional framework.