Houthi attacks test Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey defence pact credibility

Houthi attacks on Saudi targets have exposed the limits of the trilateral Joint Defence Agreement signed in Mecca on 7 August, which treats an attack on one as an attack on all. Analysts caution the Article 5-like clause is not literal, and Pakistan's response has been muted, raising questions about the pact's operational value. The development matters because it tests alliance credibility in the Gulf and could reshape regional security commitments.