ANKARA, 8 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Türkiye is assessing how it can help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces under a joint defence agreement with Pakistan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, while ruling out any Turkish participation in offensive operations. Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement in August, under which an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all. The three countries have since held political and military consultations in response to Houthi attacks. Fidan said the agreement was defensive rather than offensive and that military officials were assessing possible Turkish contributions, particularly in air defence, electronic warfare and technical support. “This is a defensive agreement. When a country party to the pact comes under attack, you stand by it in its defence,” Fidan said, adding that Türkiye would not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory. He said military delegations would determine Saudi Arabia’s operational defence requirements and assess what contributions Türkiye and Pakistan could provide. Two officials told Reuters on Wednesday that Türkiye was sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia to assist its efforts against the Houthis. Turkish officials have said that any support provided at this stage would largely be on a bilateral basis, as Türkiye’s parliament has not yet formally ratified the joint defence agreement. Fidan said work on the agreement had largely been completed and that it would be submitted to parliament for approval as soon as possible. Türkiye, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a strong defence industry, has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, expressed willingness to meet Riyadh’s technical military requirements and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition aimed at ensuring navigational safety in the Red Sea.