Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on Friday signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, under which an armed attack against any one of the three countries would be regarded as an attack against them all.

The agreement was signed during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, attended by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

Regional powers are looking to strengthen security ties against the backdrop of the US-Israel war on Iran, which started on February 28, and has had a major impact on the region — drawing in several Gulf countries and paralysing maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.