Jizan refinery attack raises questions over collective-defence commitments as Ankara and Islamabad remain publicly silent
RIYADH: A Houthi drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco refinery in Jizan has delivered an early test for the newly signed trilateral defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group precisely targeted the refinery on Sunday in retaliation for Saudi drone activity over Yemen’s Saada and Hajjah provinces. Meanwhile, the Saudi Energy Ministry confirmed a fire at the facility and said authorities extinguished it.
The attack came roughly 48 hours after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.
Under the publicly described framework, an armed attack against one member would be considered an attack against all three. However, neither Türkiye nor Pakistan immediately announced military action following the Jizan incident.
Collective Defence Clause Faces First Scrutiny
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan previously compared the agreement’s collective-defence provision with NATO’s Article 5. Nevertheless, he explained that members would first consult each other to determine the nature and scale of assistance after an attack.
The pact also establishes a ministerial committee and permanent secretariat in Saudi Arabia. However, governments have not published its complete text, leaving important operational details unclear.
Questions Grow Over Pact’s Military Reach
Saudi Arabia already maintains a bilateral defence arrangement with Pakistan, while Pakistani military personnel and equipment have reportedly operated inside the kingdom.
Moreover, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently called for greater Muslim military cooperation against Israel, adding another political dimension to the agreement.
The Jizan attack, however, highlights the distinction between collective deterrence and automatic military intervention.
Consequently, the pact’s real significance may emerge only after a larger attack forces Riyadh, Ankara and Islamabad to decide whether to activate their collective-defence commitments.
