Türkiye plans to step up its military support for Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks by deploying additional personnel and defense equipment amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom, several Turkish officials told Middle East Eye on Tuesday. This came in the aftermath of Monday’s meeting of foreign ministers and defense officials of all three signatories of the Mecca Defense Alliance in Riyadh, during which they decided to implement their collective defense commitments and provide “the agreed military forces and capabilities to ensure their rapid deployment” to the kingdom.

Two Turkish officials familiar with Ankara’s plans told MEE that Türkiye had maintained technical teams, air defense systems, and electronic warfare equipment in the kingdom since last year to protect critical infrastructure, including energy facilities. One senior Turkish official said Ankara would send additional equipment, technicians, emergency response teams, and accompanying combat forces. The official said a 2010 military training agreement between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye allows Ankara to deploy limited forces to the kingdom for technical purposes. Further deployments, however, would require parliamentary approval under the Turkish constitution. “We have to ratify the Makkah treaty as well, but we may prioritize the military deployment authorization bill,” the official added.

A second Turkish official said Ankara planned to station military forces on at least one command base, solely to provide defensive support to Saudi Arabia.

Separate sources familiar with the planning told MEE that, following parliamentary approval, the Turkish military would deploy an undisclosed number of experienced pilots and aircraft to Saudi Arabia to counter drones and ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen. “We don’t plan to send a large group of soldiers and have no plans to directly intervene in Yemen,” the senior Turkish official said. “Ankara still believes diplomatic efforts might bear fruit in coming months.”