The military chiefs of Saudi Arabia and its defense allies, Pakistan and Turkey, discussed the threats facing Saudi Arabia at a meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital on Friday, the third in a row.

The military chiefs of Saudi Arabia and its defense allies, Pakistan and Turkey, discussed the threats facing Saudi Arabia at a meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital on Friday, the third in a row.

Fayyaz bin Hamad al-Wa'i, the chief of staff of the Saudi Arabian army, met with his military counterparts from Pakistan, Asim Munir and Seljuk Bayroktraoglu from Turkey.

Those three countries signed the agreement on the joint defense of Mecca last month and said they consider an armed ground attack against any of them a ground attack against all of them.

The latest meeting of the military officials of the three countries comes in the wake of increased attacks by the Yemeni Houthis, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Saudi Arabia, which is the world's largest exporter of crude oil.

This Iranian-backed group has escalated its attacks on Saudi Arabia since July, ending the long-standing ceasefire. The Houthis also declared a naval blockade, launched a ground attack on targets in Saudi Arabia, and took control of the entire coast of the Red Sea in Yemen. Actions aimed at limiting Saudi oil exports.