Turkey to send special forces, warplanes to Saudi Arabia under 'Mecca defense pact'

Turkey is expected to deploy special forces, military aircraft and air defense systems to Saudi Arabia within weeks, as military cooperation under the Mecca Joint Defense Treaty signed last month by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan begins to take shape.

Turkey is pursuing a plan to send a limited contingent of special forces to Saudi Arabia after securing parliamentary approval later this month, according to Middle East Eye, a regional news outlet, citing sources Tuesday (local time).

A senior Turkish official said Turkey had been deploying technical personnel, air defense systems and electronic warfare equipment to Saudi Arabia since last year to protect key infrastructure, including energy facilities, and that the country now plans to send additional equipment, technicians and combat troops.

The deployment requires the Turkish parliament to ratify the Mecca Joint Defense Treaty, which Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed last month. However, a separate bill to authorize the Saudi deployment ahead of full treaty ratification is also under consideration, sources said.

Another official said the Turkish military's mission would be confined to "defensive support," with troops set to be stationed at at least one command post. Turkish technical teams had already spent last month in Saudi Arabia working to establish the command post.

Turkey is also pursuing plans to send military aircraft and pilots to Saudi Arabia to counter ballistic missile and drone strikes by the Houthis.

Turkish forces are particularly expected to be tasked with protecting energy infrastructure, including the east-west oil pipeline linking Saudi Arabia's eastern oil fields to the Red Sea. The priority reflects the growing threat Houthi missile and drone strikes pose to Saudi energy facilities.

Turkey has stressed, however, that the deployment does not amount to direct involvement in the Yemen war. "There are no plans to send large numbers of soldiers or to intervene directly in Yemen," a senior Turkish official said. "We believe diplomatic efforts could bear fruit within a few months."

Turkish forces are expected to operate from a separate base in Saudi Arabia and conduct joint operations alongside Saudi and Pakistani troops.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Treaty last month. The three countries held an emergency meeting in Riyadh on Monday and agreed to immediately begin implementing their collective defense commitments.

Following the meeting, the three countries said they had agreed "to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and to take the necessary measures to ensure their rapid deployment to Saudi Arabia."

Should Turkey's deployment proceed, the Mecca defense alliance would move beyond a declaratory security arrangement into a phase involving the actual mobilization of troops and military assets.