Turkey will provide primarily defense and technical support for Saudi Arabia’s fight against the Houthis in Yemen. Speaking to Reuters, a Turkish official said the support is limited to military equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems, noting that no military deployment has taken place so far.
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement in August, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members. Since the agreement has not yet been ratified by the Turkish parliament, the support will for now be carried out within the framework of bilateral cooperation; it is expected to be expanded following ratification.
According to a US official, the support includes:
- UAV operators
- strategic planning and logistics
- efforts to enhance the effectiveness of defense systems
- intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, had also agreed to join the Saudi-led coalition to ensure maritime security in the Red Sea. Foreign Minister Fidan said the defense minister and the chief of general staff also attended the meeting in Riyadh. According to Pakistani and regional officials, Turkey and Pakistan have also supplied military equipment used in Yemen. Yemeni government forces launched a counteroffensive this week to retake strategic areas near the Bab el-Mandeb.
Background
Turkey is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 99 stories mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated October 7, 2026.