The wider Middle East war, ignited by US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, continues to destabilize the region, with the conflict in Yemen escalating dramatically and driving a severe humanitarian crisis. Houthi forces launched dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi targets on Thursday, while Saudi authorities reported the interception of six ballistic missiles. These attacks follow repeated Houthi strikes on the Saudi-backed government in Yemen and into Saudi Arabia, disrupting oil flows from the world's largest energy exporter.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are set to hold an urgent, high-level meeting under a joint defense pact to discuss ways to support the kingdom amid these attacks. Saudi Arabia earlier issued emergency alerts for areas including the holy city of Mecca, Jeddah, and Yanbu, the main Saudi Red Sea oil port. The Saudi Grand Mufti, the kingdom's top religious authority, called on soldiers to be ready to lay down their lives to fight the Houthis until the group is ousted from power, according to a statement posted by the Saudi state news agency late on Thursday.
Regional Destabilization and Escalation
Turkey's Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu will travel to Saudi Arabia to meet his Saudi and Pakistani counterparts as part of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, the Defense Ministry said on Friday. The Saudi, Pakistani, and Turkish foreign ministers already met within the framework of this agreement, condemning the attacks targeting Mecca and other civilian sites. They affirmed Saudi Arabia's right to defend itself, a Saudi foreign ministry statement detailed.
This joint defense pact stipulates that an attack against any one of the parties constitutes an attack against all parties. The ministers discussed arrangements for holding an urgent meeting of the chiefs of staff of the three countries to discuss ways to support Saudi Arabia under this agreement. The regional conflict, exacerbated by external interventions, continues to draw in more actors, deepening the cycle of violence.
Humanitarian Toll and Political Maneuvers
Amidst this intensifying fighting, UNICEF reported rising child malnutrition in Yemen, highlighting the severe humanitarian crisis accompanying the conflict. The ongoing violence and disruption have devastating consequences for the civilian population, particularly children, who bear the brunt of the regional destabilization.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to distance Iran from the Houthis in an American television interview on Thursday. "The Houthis are responsible for their own actions," Pezeshkian told the Fox News program "Special Report with Bret Baier" a day after he appeared before the UN General Assembly in New York. This statement comes as the wider Middle East war, initiated by US and Israeli actions, continues to reshape alliances and exacerbate existing tensions across the region.