On Friday, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Pact, a new defence agreement seen by some analysts as a challenge to Israeli regional expansionism. The pact was signed in Mecca amid ongoing regional turmoil.

Israel has not yet issued an official response to the agreement. Turkiye, considered by some as Israel’s next strategic rival, joined nuclear-powered Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, a country Israel has sought to normalize relations with, in the pact.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently described Israel as a “burden that humanity can no longer bear,” comments that Israeli politicians, including Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, condemned as a “textbook incitement to genocide.” Additionally, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated in June that Israeli military actions in Syria and Lebanon pose a direct threat to Ankara, emphasizing that Turkiye’s security concerns extend beyond its southern province of Hatay to include Aleppo, Damascus, and Beirut.

Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London’s School of Security Studies, told Al Jazeera that for Riyadh, the current war has underscored a difficult reality: while American military power remains essential, an alliance with the US does not guarantee immunity from attacks nor ensure that Washington will act in line with Saudi priorities.

Analysts at Haaretz have suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu might be leveraging Turkiye as a strategic rival to strengthen his security credentials ahead of the upcoming general election, where he is reportedly neck-and-neck with rival Gadi Eizenkot according to recent polls.

Sources