Pakistan’s defense minister has said the time has come to implement the Mecca defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensify, reported Middle East Eye. Speaking to Geo News Sept. 16, Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan remained committed to defending Saudi Arabia and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, adding that Islamabad had a duty to protect them even without the agreement. “Makkah Agreement applies to us, and we will fulfil our duty,” said Asif without elaborating on what Pakistan may do.

Meanwhile, the Israelis seem intent on undermining the Mecca agreement. Israel has been given a “golden opportunity” to prove its strength to Saudi Arabia, an unnamed Israeli official told i24NEWS on Tuesday. “The latest escalation proves that, in practice, Erdogan’s defense pact isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” the official said. “Erdogan has handed Israel a golden opportunity to show the Saudis who they should align with.”