Officials in Turkey and Pakistan say Saudi Arabia has not asked either country for military assistance under their recently signed defence pact, despite escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement.
The officials, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Riyadh had not requested assistance from Turkey or Pakistan in response to the latest escalation.
The comments come as Saudi Arabia seeks additional air defence support amid a reported shortage of missile interceptors. Regional officials told the AP that Riyadh had approached France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt about deploying air defence capabilities.
The defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan was signed in Mecca in August. It states that an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against all three.
