Turkish FM says ready to meet Saudi defence needs – what does that mean?

Turkiye says it is ready to help meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs as Riyadh faces escalating attacks from Yemen’s Houthis, potentially putting a newly signed Mecca defence pact to its first major test.Last month, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which treats an armed attack on any of its three member countries as an attack on all three, amid growing regional tensions.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3More than 112,000 displaced by Yemen fighting; thousands flee to Djiboutilist 2 of 3Pakistan pledges full committment to defence of Saudi Arabialist 3 of 3As Houthis grab Bab al-Mandeb, US appears willing to watch from sidelinesend of listTurkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saudi Arabia may require military assistance, particularly on “technical issues”, and that Ankara would have no problem providing it.His comments come as Houthi missile and drone attacks increasingly target Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, opening another front in a wider regional conflict that began with the US-Israeli war on Iran in February.The escalation has also raised the stakes for global energy supplies, as the Iran-aligned Hout...