Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan forge defensive alliance amid Middle East escalation

In the shadow of Islam's holiest city, three of the Muslim world's most consequential powers — Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan — have bound themselves together in a mutual defence compact, a formal acknowledgment that the region's long-burning conflicts have outpaced the security guarantees of any single patron. The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed after nearly a year of negotiation, reflects a world in which U.S. allies are no longer content to wait for Washington's protection while missiles fall on their oil fields and shipping lanes. It is, at its core, a hedge — a collective answer