Arabic version: ميثاق مكة الدفاعي يختبر الاصطفافات الإقليمية

According to Al Jazeera, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Pact on Friday, expanding on a defence agreement Riyadh and Islamabad reached last year. The accord has prompted debate over whether the three states could form a broader regional bloc positioned between Israel and Iran.

The countries have presented the pact as a display of unity against regional threats, while avoiding language that directly identifies an adversary. Its practical commitments remain uncertain. Harlan Ullman, chairman of the Killowen Group advisory firm, said the reported principle that an attack on one member should be considered an attack on all does not necessarily establish an automatic duty to intervene.

Each signatory faces separate security pressures. Pakistan has been in a border conflict with Afghanistan since February and exchanged fire with India for several days in May 2025. Saudi Arabia has faced attacks from Iran and its allies since the United States-Israeli war against Iran began in late February. Turkiye has long fought Kurdish armed groups inside and outside its borders, while tensions with Israel have risen.

Al Jazeera correspondent Osamah Bin Javaid said Pakistan contributes a battle-hardened military, munitions and a nuclear arsenal; Turkiye brings NATO membership, drone technology and defence manufacturing; and Saudi Arabia offers financial resources. The pact also reflects uncertainty over the reliability of the United States as a security partner, analysts said.

It is also unclear whether Egypt, Qatar, Syria or the United Arab Emirates could join. Differing priorities and past divisions could limit expansion: Syria is focused on reconstruction, Egypt on its economy and domestic stability, and the UAE has differed with the three countries on Yemen and its ties with Israel. Analysts said the alliance’s significance will ultimately depend on whether its members act for one another when a crisis tests the agreement.