Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Condemn Houthi Airport Attacks, Back Saudi Response Under Joint Defense Pact

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Four regional powers issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s airports as a “dangerous escalation that cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext,” and pledged full support for Riyadh’s response to the strikes that killed at least 14 people over the weekend.

Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — a grouping officials have dubbed the “R4” — said they held the Houthi militia “fully accountable for the results of these attacks and any repercussions that come with it that threaten regional and international peace and security,” and demanded “the immediate and unconditional halt of these attacks,” according to Reuters.

The statement reaffirmed the group’s “solidarity and support for Saudi Arabia, including full support for all ‘legitimate measures and steps’ it takes to counter the attacks, deter threats and prevent them from happening again.”

A defense pact put to the test

The joint statement carries extra weight because of a joint defense pact Turkey and Pakistan signed with Saudi Arabia in August, under which an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all. Last week, the countries said they had agreed to implement their collective defense commitments and ensure the “rapid deployment” of forces and capabilities in Saudi Arabia amid the Houthi attacks, Reuters reported.

Turkey has so far been careful to limit its commitments. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday that Ankara was assessing how it could help Saudi Arabia but ruled out troop deployment and Turkish participation in offensive operations; officials told Reuters a day earlier that Turkey was sending mainly defensive and technical support to Riyadh. Turkey’s parliament has not yet ratified the pact, with the agreement expected to be submitted in the coming days. Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army and a robust defense industry, has provided Saudi Arabia with defense equipment and agreed to join a Saudi-led coalition to ensure navigational safety in the Red Sea.

Trump weighs U.S. involvement

The condemnation came as President Donald Trump said he was considering U.S. military intervention against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. “We’re going to look at it,” Trump said, according to The Times. “We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.” The United States had previously declined to join the fight, but the weekend attacks may cause Washington to reconsider, the paper reported.

The U.S. had agreed to a ceasefire with the Houthis after a month-long bombing campaign, and neither side appears eager to resume the conflict. The U.S. has already sent military and intelligence operatives to Saudi Arabia to assist with targeting, according to The Times.

The weekend’s attacks

Sunday’s attack struck terminals three and four at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, killing a Pakistani resident and injuring 11 people, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, which said material damage was still being assessed. A fire broke out in Terminal 4, and Saudi air defenses intercepted a cruise missile in the airport’s vicinity, coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said. It was the fourth time the Houthis had targeted the airport in the past week.

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast, was also targeted on Sunday evening, with damage assessments underway, the civil aviation authority said.

The Saturday attack remains the deadliest on Saudi territory in decades: 13 people were killed — four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Syrian, a Palestinian, a Sudanese, and an Indian national who died of his wounds — and 309 others were wounded, Saudi authorities said. More than 600 flights were canceled.

Britain’s Foreign Office on Sunday advised its citizens to avoid travel to the cities of Jeddah and Dammam and to all Saudi airports except the one in Medina.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters, The Times and Demócrata.