Syria is considering joining a regional defense alliance with Saudi Arabia, its foreign minister said on Saturday, raising the prospect that Damascus could become involved in the kingdom’s widening conflict with the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen.
Asaad al-Shaibani, the Syrian foreign minister, told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain that “discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” referring to a mutual-defense pact signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.
Under the terms of the pact, known as the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, an armed attack on any of its three members would be considered an attack on all, mirroring NATO’s collective-defense principle. The countries agreed this month to prepare for the rapid deployment of military forces to Saudi Arabia as the Houthis have intensified their attacks on the kingdom.
That still won’t stop Israel from annexing more Syrian territory though.
Turkey, Saudi and Pakistan would basically have to immediately enter Syria. 😄
Which is never gonna happen. Well maybe not never, but not now.
Turkey is a NATO member. Their soldiers being in Syria would be a strong deterrent, even for Israel
That’s a bold claim, esp given various political figures in Israel have said Turkey is their next enemy after Iran. Maybe, maybe not. 😄
If that’s the ploy that Syria is doing, then that’s actually pretty smart. But like you said, this defense alliance would fall apart the second that joining in wouldn’t be politically positive for them.
They might actually put an addendum in the defense pact saying “but if you’re attacked by a western imperial state and/or it’s proxy, then tough luck”.
HTS was always an Israeli asset.
