Дата публикации: 07-08-2026 11:33:17

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign defense pact
Welcome back to the Daily Briefing.This is Ezgi Akin, filling in for Gabrielle. In today’s edition:Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign defense pactHouthi attacks kill 58 Yemeni government troopsSyria says bomb near Damascus wounds 14Iran warns against alternative Hormuz corridorThanks for reading,Ezgi (ezgi_akin)Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign defense pactTurkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022. — ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty ImagesTurkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement on Friday that provides that an armed attack on any of the three countries will be considered an attack against all of them, establishing a new collective defense framework among the three regional powers.The pact was signed during a summit at Mecca's Al-Safa Palace attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.A joint statement read that the pact reflected the countries’ commitment to strengthening collective security and promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond. It did not specify what military obligations would be triggered by such an attack. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have stepped up security coordination amid mounting regional instability, including the Iran war and attacks on Gulf states.The pact has been under negotiation for nearly a year. In January, Pakistani Defense Production Minister Raza Hayat Harraj said the three countries had prepared a draft after about 10 months of talks and that copies were being considered in Islamabad, Riyadh and Ankara. He stressed that the proposed trilateral arrangement was separate from the mutual defense agreement Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed in 2025.The pact comes a week after Saudi Arabia unveiled a multinational maritime defense coalition for protecting commercial shipping and energy routes in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden amid mounting threats from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. NATO member Turkey and nuclear-armed Pakistan were among 14 countries that formally backed the Saudi-led initiative. Listen to a breakdown of the top headlines on today’s episode of the Middle East Minute podcast with Adam Lucente.Houthi missile attacks kill 58 Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces: ReportSaudi Arabia has led a military coalition backing Yemen's government against the Houthis since 2015 — MOHAMMED HUWAISYemen’s Iran-backed Houthis killed at least 58 Saudi-backed government troops in ballistic missile and drone attacks on Thursday, a military source told Agence France-Presse, marking one of the country’s deadliest days of fighting since 2022. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strikes targeted government positions in response to an alleged Saudi-backed military buildup. Dozens more were wounded. The escalation spilled into neighboring Saudi Arabia, where Houthi attacks wounded 11 civilians in Najran, according to Saudi officials. Yemen’s Defense Ministry vowed to respond “at the appropriate place and time.” Saudi Arabia has backed Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis since 2015.Syria says bomb on minibus near Damascus wounded 14People gather at the site of an explosion, in Jaramana, Damascus countryside, Syria, Aug. 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar A bomb planted on a minibus wounded 14 people in Jaramana, a predominantly Druze suburb of Damascus, Syrian officials said Friday. Authorities initially reported two deaths after body parts were found at the scene, but the Health Ministry later said they belonged to severely wounded survivors. Preliminary information indicated an explosive device had been planted on the vehicle. No group has claimed responsibility. The attack comes amid persistent tensions involving Druze communities and Islamist militants aligned with the Syrian government. More than 1,700 people were killed in violence in southern Sweida province in July 2025, according to a UN investigation.Iran warns against alternative Hormuz corridorA person in front of a large screen displaying vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz on a ship-tracking website — Reuters.Iran will not allow the creation of an alternative shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and senior military adviser to the supreme leader, said Thursday. Rezaei warned that continued efforts to bypass Iranian-controlled routes could put US vessels and forces at risk, saying Tehran would “never allow a second corridor” through the strategic waterway. His remarks came as Washington pushes for arrangements to reopen Hormuz. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, struck an optimistic tone on Thursday, saying he believed the war with Iran would end soon.
eakin@al-monitor.com
Fri, 08/07/2026 - 07:33



Ezgi Akin



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