Mecca pact in tatters, Saudi Arabia turns to Europe to repel Houthi strikes

As the Mecca Agreement fails to shield Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has turned to Europe for assistance. With Saudi Arabia running low on air-defence interceptors, MBS has reached out for support from countries ranging from Egypt to the United Kingdom.

Despite signing the Mecca Agreement to manage precisely the kind of crisis Saudi Arabia is now facing, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been forced to seek help from neighbouring states and European countries to defend the kingdom against Houthi attacks.

Saudi Arabia has asked the United Kingdom, France, and Egypt to provide air-defence support as the kingdom runs low on interceptor missiles, The Associated Press reported two regional officials as saying.

According to the sources, Saudi Arabia has also reached out to Pakistan, but the AP reported a Pakistani official as saying that the country had not received a Saudi request for support in response to the Houthis' attacks.

The desperate plea comes as the Iran-backed, Yemen-based Houthis have plunged Saudi Arabia into its most precarious security situation in years. After declaring a blockade of the kingdom, the Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks. Their barrage on Tuesday forced the closure of the kingdom's main international airport in Jeddah as alerts were issued in many other cities. On Wednesday, the Saudis accused the Houthis of launching a drone attack on Mecca.