RIYADH: The chiefs of staff of the Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani armed forces held talks in Riyadh on Friday to discuss support for the Kingdom in the face of escalating attacks against Saudi Arabia by the Houthis in Yemen.

The senior military officials agreed to deepen their military and intelligence cooperation, and enhance the integration of defensive capabilities under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed last month by the three countries, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said.

They reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense and their determination to protect the “security, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Saudi Arabia. They also reviewed the present security situation and the threats facing the Kingdom, and condemned recent attacks targeting civilian and economic infrastructure in the city of Makkah and other locations.

Attacks against the Kingdom by the Houthis, who are backed by the regime in Iran, have escalated since July, ending a truce agreed in April 2022. The group also declared a maritime blockade, and have launched strikes against Saudi-linked ships and tankers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

During their meeting on Friday, the military chiefs praised the Saudi armed forces for the work they are doing to protect citizens, residents and the security of the Kingdom.

The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, met his Pakistani and Turkish counterparts, Ishaq Dar and Hakan Fidan, respectively, in New York on Thursday, on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week.

One of the items on their agenda was the “ongoing arrangements for an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to discuss ways to support the Kingdom in accordance with the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the defense accord on Aug. 7. It states that any armed attack against one of the countries would be considered an attack against all three, and commits them to the expansion of defense cooperation and a strengthening of collective deterrence.

The meeting of the military chiefs came amid efforts by the three countries to translate their defense agreement into practical military collaboration.

They said their talks reflected the strength of the defense partnership, and their determination to immediately begin the process of translating their commitments under the agreement into “effective military cooperation.”