‘Muslim NATO’ activates force deployment over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

A three-nation military alliance dubbed the “Muslim NATO” has activated its collective-defense commitments and ordered the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia amid an escalating confrontation with Yemen’s Houthis.

Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan made the decision at an emergency meeting of the Mecca Defense Alliance in Riyadh on Monday after a series of Houthi attacks. In a joint statement they condemned the “attempted targeting” of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, as well as attacks on Saudi cities and civilian and economic infrastructure.

The group decided to “move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defense commitments” and take measures to provide agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their “rapid deployment” in Saudi Arabia. It said the move was intended to boost military readiness and integration and strengthen the three countries’ “collective capacity to confront and counter threats.”

The alliance was formed in August under an agreement treating an armed attack on any member as an attack on all three, mirroring NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense principle.

Yemen’s civil war has escalated sharply in recent weeks. A Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government said on Monday that 100 fighter jets were taking part in Operation Dawn of Yemen, providing air cover for ground forces. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said 324 “high-value targets” had been destroyed.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are a Shiite armed group that has controlled the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen for more than a decade. They have accused Riyadh of carrying out extensive airstrikes and hitting civilian targets.

Yemen’s government announced a new campaign on Sunday aimed at retaking all Houthi-held territory. The move followed major gains by the group in September, when it captured swathes of the Red Sea coast and territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route.

Government forces said on Monday that they had retaken several areas around the strait, including the town of Dhubab, which sits strategically along the strait. The Houthis have disputed reports of government advances.

The renewed fighting has killed hundreds of combatants on both sides and forced more than 145,000 people from their homes since September, according to UN figures.

Saudi Arabia first intervened in Yemen in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government after the Houthis had driven it from Sanaa the previous year. Large-scale fighting decreased significantly following a UN-brokered truce in 2022.

Fighting escalated again last month. The Houthis have accused Riyadh of imposing an illegal siege on Yemen, while Saudi Arabia says the group has stepped up missile, drone, and maritime attacks against the kingdom itself and shipping in the Red Sea.

The escalation comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to most shipping and US-Iranian talks on ending the conflict have stalled.

Several Saudi allies have stepped up military support for the kingdom. Britain has agreed to provide air-to-air refueling for Saudi warplanes, while France is sending troops, radar, and air-defense systems to help protect the Red Sea oil hub of Yanbu.