New Delhi, Oct. 7 -- Turkiye and Pakistan are reported to be joining forces with Saudi Arabia in the kingdom's defence against Houthi attacks. This marks the first time that the Nato-like all-for-one clause of the trilateral Mecca agreement, signed by the three in August, has been invoked. So far, it was unclear what provocations would be covered by the pact.

On paper, Yemen's Houthi rebels are non-state actors. Yet, they are armed and backed by Iran as an open secret. The trio thus risks a direct confrontation with Iran or with its other proxies in the region, though the latter have been weakened significantly by Israel and the US.

Pakistan and Turkiye both share borders with Iran and perhaps hope that the conflict in the Arabian penin...