Mecca defense pact 'sidesteps the United States and Israel'

A mutual defense pact signed on August 7 by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan reflects the emergence of a unified Sunni bloc that could reshape regional dynamics regarding both Iran and Israel, according to analysts in Israel.

Meir Ben-Shabbat, chairman of the Misgav Institute for National Security and former Israeli national security adviser, said the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement "symbolizes several things," Including "the rise of a strong central Sunni axis that sees itself as capable of serving as a counterweight to other regional forces; an understanding among the states of this axis that the Iranian threat is apparently not expected to disappear in the foreseeable future and requires preparation for scenarios of its development; a desire to create an arrangement that is not dependent on the United States and bypasses Israel, an arrangement that can of course realize political ambitions and cross-continental economic partnerships and is not purely security-related."

Ben-Shabbat highlighted the expansion of Turkish influence in the pact and noted the conspicuous absence of the United Arab Emirates. He recommended that Israel strengthen partnerships with India, the Emirates, and eastern Mediterranean states while monitoring Turkish regional activities.

Dr. Brandon Friedman of Tel Aviv University's Moshe Dayan Center said the three signatories view both Israel and Iran as potentially destabilizing threats. He cited Iranian attacks on Turkey and Saudi Arabia during the ongoing war as reinforcement for the expanded arrangement, which built on an earlier Pakistan-Saudi defense agreement signed in September 2025.

Egypt declined to participate despite Turkish invitations, Friedman explained, because the pact's binding mutual-defense clause would conflict with Egypt's existing relationships. Such a commitment would complicate Cairo's ties with the UAE, which has had disputes with Saudi Arabia, and could create tensions regarding Egypt's peace treaty with Israel and economic relationships with India.

The agreement stipulates that "an armed attack against any of the three would be regarded as an attack on all." Turkish officials stated the pact was purely defensive and not aimed at any specific country. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on August 9 that it remained open to other countries willing to uphold its principles.