Turkey’s foreign minister says Ankara weighing Saudi defense support, rules out offensive role

ANKARA — Turkey is assessing how it can help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants under a joint defense pact with Pakistan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, ruling out Turkish participation in offensive operations.

Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca 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 meetings in response to the Houthi attacks.

On Monday, the countries said they had agreed to move immediately to implement their collective defense commitments and ensure the “rapid deployment” of military forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Hungarian counterpart Anita Orban in Ankara, Fidan stressed that the pact was defensive rather than offensive, saying military officials were assessing possible contributions, particularly in air defense, electronic warfare and technical support.

“Yemen’s legitimate government forces are already continuing the battle on the ground and Saudi Arabia is supporting them,” Fidan said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Anita Orban (L) hold joint press conference following their meeting in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 8, 2026. (Mustafa Hatipoglu/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“But this is a defensive agreement. When a country party to the pact comes under attack, you stand by it in its defense. This is not an offensive agreement. Turkey will not send troops to another country to carry out attacks on its territory,” he said.

Fidan said military delegations would determine Saudi Arabia’s operational defense needs and what contributions Turkey and Pakistan could make.

On Wednesday, two officials told Reuters that Turkey was sending mainly defensive and technical support to Saudi Arabia to help its fight with Houthi militants.

Turkish officials have said any support provided at this stage would largely be in a bilateral capacity, as Turkey’s parliament has not officially ratified the joint defense pact.

Fidan said on Thursday that work was largely completed for the agreement to be submitted for parliament’s approval and that they aimed to send it “as soon as possible.”

Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a robust defense industry, has condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, voiced willingness to help meet Riyadh’s technical military needs, and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.

安卡拉——土耳其外交部长哈坎·菲丹周四表示，土耳其正在评估如何根据与巴基斯坦的联合防御协议，帮助沙特阿拉伯抵御也门胡塞武装（伊朗支持的武装组织）的袭击，同时排除了土耳其参与进攻行动的可能性。

土耳其、巴基斯坦和沙特阿拉伯于8月签署了《麦加联合防御协议》，根据该协议，对任何一个成员国的武装袭击都被视为对所有成员国的袭击。此后，为应对胡塞武装的袭击，这三个国家举行了多次政治和军事会议。

周一，这些国家表示，他们已同意立即采取行动，履行集体防御承诺，并确保在沙特阿拉伯“迅速部署”军事力量和能力。

菲丹在安卡拉与匈牙利国防部长安妮塔·欧尔班举行的联合新闻发布会上强调，该条约是防御性的而不是进攻性的，并表示军方官员正在评估可能的贡献，尤其是在防空、电子战和技术支持方面。

菲丹说：“也门合法政府军已经在地面继续战斗，沙特阿拉伯正在支持他们。”

2026年10月8日，土耳其外交部长哈坎·菲丹（右）和匈牙利副总理兼外交部长阿妮塔·欧尔班（左）在土耳其安卡拉会晤后举行联合新闻发布会。（Mustafa Hatipoglu/Anadolu via Getty Images）

“但这是一项防御性协议。当缔约国遭受攻击时，土耳其会支持它进行防御。这不是一项进攻性协议。土耳其不会派兵前往他国领土发动攻击，”他说道。

菲丹表示，军事代表团将确定沙特阿拉伯的作战防御需求，以及土耳其和巴基斯坦可以做出哪些贡献。

周三，两名官员告诉路透社，土耳其主要向沙特阿拉伯提供防御和技术支持，以帮助其打击胡塞武装分子。

土耳其官员表示，现阶段提供的任何支持都将主要以双边形式进行，因为土耳其议会尚未正式批准联合防御条约。

菲丹周四表示，提交议会批准的协议工作已基本完成，他们的目标是“尽快”提交该协议。

土耳其拥有北约第二大军队和强大的国防工业，谴责胡塞武装对沙特阿拉伯的袭击，表示愿意帮助满足利雅得的技术军事需求，并同意加入沙特领导的联盟，以确保红海的航行安全。