Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the “Mecca Joint Defense Agreement” at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca on August 7, 2026. Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the signing. According to a joint statement cited by the report, the agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression.

The agreement says an armed attack on any one of the three states will be regarded as an attack on all three. Specific military obligations have not been disclosed. Turkish officials described it as entirely defensive and not directed at any particular country, while the arrangement was left open to other regional states. The report says it builds on a Saudi-Pakistan strategic mutual defense agreement signed in 2025.

The report compares the pact’s collective-defense principle with NATO’s Article 5 but says it is not yet a full military alliance. It lacks an integrated command structure, permanent headquarters, joint exercises and automatic-response obligations. Each state will decide based on its own interests. The report also says Pakistan sent about 8,000 troops, JF-17 squadrons, drones and air-defense systems to strengthen Saudi defense in April 2026.