Saudi Arabia's new alliance did nothing when a drone hit Jizan – analysis

A recent analysis from The Jerusalem Post examines the new alliance formed between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, highlighting its ineffectiveness following a Houthi drone attack on an Aramco refinery in Jizan, Saudi Arabia. Despite a collective defense agreement signed just 48 hours prior, neither Turkey nor Pakistan responded to the incident. The pact, described by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as comparable to NATO's Article 5, involves consultation among members to determine assistance in case of an attack. This arrangement mirrors a previous Saudi-Pakistani defense agreement from 2025, where Pakistani forces provided advisory and training roles in Saudi Arabia but did not engage in combat during Iranian attacks on Saudi targets. The article suggests the alliance is primarily political, offering Saudi Arabia a visible partnership without the domestic costs of normalization with Israel, and notes that "a refinery fire in Jizan was never going to move Turkish or Pakistani forces."