Iran-backed Houthis just gave Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s new defense pact its first test

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s brand-new collective defense pact has already been handed its first real-world test — but the jury is still out on whether the Mecca Pact will be worth more than the paper it was written on.

Almost exactly one month after the three regional powers pledged to consider a military attack against any one of them an attack against all, Iran-backed Houthi forces struck civilian and energy facilities across Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding a whopping 73 people and temporarily disrupting operations at some energy sites.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif quickly made clear where Islamabad stood.

“I condemn in the strongest terms, the cowardly attack by Houthis targeting civilian and energy facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which have left many people injured,” Sharif said Tuesday.

“Pakistan stands in unwavering solidarity with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia,” he added.

The statement would have been unsurprising even a year ago. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have maintained close military and political ties for decades.

But since Aug. 7, those words carry considerably more weight.

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