Pakistan’s army chief expected in Riyadh as three chiefs of staff meet urgently under Mecca Defense Pact

Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Marshal Asim Munir, is expected to arrive soon in Riyadh for the announced meeting with his Saudi and Turkish counterparts, Al Jazeera reports. The meeting of the three chiefs of staff takes place under the Mecca Joint Defense Pact, as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensify.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced that Chief of the General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu will travel to Riyadh to meet his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts. According to the Saudi statement, the foreign ministers of the three countries agreed to organize the urgent meeting to discuss ways of supporting Saudi Arabia — the pact stipulates that an attack on one party is considered an attack on all parties.

The meeting comes after a week of heavy attacks: on Thursday the Houthis said they had launched dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets, while the Riyadh-led coalition said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif province and the Yanbu area on the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority called on the kingdom’s soldiers to be ready to “give their lives” fighting the Houthis until the group is driven from power, according to the Saudi state news agency — a signal that Riyadh is preparing for further escalation.

Source: Al Jazeera and Reuters