BIG: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan gather for flash meeting: Chiefs of Staff as part of their joint defense agreement in Mecca after increased Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.

BIG: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan gather for flash meeting: Chiefs of Staff as part of their joint defense agreement in Mecca after increased Houthi attacks on Saudi territory.

This is the first move at the operational level within the framework of the agreement, which treats an attack on one as an attack on all three.

The trigger: Saudi air defenses intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu on September 24, with separate claims by the Houthis of hitting Riyadh and Aramco sites.

France also offered troops, radars and air defense for Yanbu.

No specific military support has yet been announced, any deployment requires a formal Saudi request.