Syria weighing whether to join Mecca pact: foreign minister

MANAMA — Syria's top diplomat on Saturday said Damascus was considering whether to join the NATO-style Mecca defense alliance that binds Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia, under heavy fire from Yemen's Houthis, is a key backer of Syria's government that came to power after the fall of former strongman Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. "Discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria's entry into the Mecca alliance," Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has been rallying support against escalating Houthi attacks, including a major strike that closed Riyadh's international airport for two weeks this month. In August, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the defense pact in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, that states an attack on one country is to be considered an attack on all three. Pakistan and Turkey have not announced any attacks on the Iran-backed Houthis. Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise visit to Riyadh and said France had sent troops to help shield a key Saudi oil te