(Bloomberg) — Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan signaled technical military support for Saudi Arabia against attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, in line with last month’s Mecca Defense Alliance.
“There may be military needs, particularly in certain technical areas, and we would have no problem meeting them,” Fidan said in an NTV interview late Saturday when asked whether Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia would activate the trilateral defense agreement. Pakistan, the third member of the alliance, also pledged military support to the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia is being drawn deeper into the regional fallout from the Iran war, with the US ally facing intensifying attacks as Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen target western cities and energy infrastructure. On Saturday, Riyadh said it intercepted a ballistic missile headed for the capital and thwarted separate Houthi attacks on civilian sites, including in Yanbu, a key Red Sea oil port.
The attacks are testing the new defense pact linking Saudi Arabia with Turkey and Pakistan, both US partners, as the two countries signal support for Riyadh without committing to a wider military intervention.
“We see very serious attacks against Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,’ Fidan said. Three days ago, his ministry condemned Houthis over a drone attack against Islam’s holy city of Mecca. Under our alliance, “we stand by our word,” Fidan said.
The widening conflict is also threatening energy flows and shipping beyond the immediate battlefield. Last week, Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraq forced the shutdown of its vital East-West pipeline. The repercussions from that are spreading to Europe, with Saudi Aramco telling at least two refiners they’ll receive no crude next month under long-term contracts.
Meanwhile, Ankara is considering joining a Saudi-led multinational naval force to counter threats to shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden.
Yemen has a deep place in Turkish folk memory, immortalized in a famous lament for Ottoman soldiers sent there, many of whom never returned.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
#Turkey #Signals #Military #Support #Saudi #Arabia #Houthis
