Mecca

Mecca defense pact faces test as Saudi delegation arrives for high-stakes Iran talks - analysis

The test in Tehran is whether the countries can come away with something practical. Skeptics about the pact's members have argued that the three countries are not making the agreement have teeth.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud prepare to pose for a picture before the first committee meeting under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
Yemeni security soldiers stand in front of a screen broadcasting Houthi-run forces launching a missile, during a demonstration staged to support missile forces in protecting the country's sovereignty and to denounce the Saudi accusation that Yemenis are attempting to attack Maca, on September 18.

Five killed as Houthis target Yemen's presidential palace in Aden with missiles

The Houthis also recently warned airlines that Saudi airspace and airports remain unsafe.

|ByREUTERS
Supporters of the Houthi authorities gather during a protest against the Saudi intervention in Yemen, in Sanaa, on October 9, 2026.

Pakistan pledges full military backing to Saudi Arabia under Mecca pact after deadly Houthi strikes

“Pakistan will not tolerate any kind of aggression. Our agreements demand it, and so do our bonds of brotherhood.” 

|ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by their ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, pose after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 7, 2026.

Mecca defense signees converging to discuss Houthi threat after Baghaei warns of escalation

The meeting comes a day after Iranian FM Esmail Baghaei said he hoped a “rumor” that Pakistan had deployed troops to Saudi Arabia was untrue, warning that intervention would complicate the situation.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Muslim pilgrims flock to Mecca ahead of hajj

Every able-bodied Muslim who has the means should perform the hajj at least once in their lifetime under a quota system.

AUGUST 19, 2018ByREUTERS
A muslim pilgrim takes a video with his mobile phone while others circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand mosque ahead of annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 16, 2018

Voices from the Arab press: A Saudi overhaul of the pilgrimage process

A selection of stories from the Arab press this week.

JUNE 7, 2018ByMEDIA LINE
THE GREAT Mosque during Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2007