Nournews : The trilateral defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan was signed in Mecca on August 7 amid concerns, according to informed sources, that Israel and some of its regional allies—particularly the UAE—could seek to disrupt the formation of the agreement in the months leading up to its signing. According to these sources, this concern was one of the main reasons the negotiations were kept confidential and the circle of countries aware of the talks was kept deliberately small.
According to informed sources, in the initial assessments of the parties involved, the UAE, given its close security and political ties with the United States and Israel, was seen as a potential actor that could intervene to influence the process if it learned the details of the negotiations prematurely. From the perspective of the three countries, this concern was not limited to political opposition; the possibility that Abu Dhabi could use its diplomatic and regional leverage to obstruct the formation of new security arrangements was also taken into account. From this perspective, keeping the talks secret was not merely a diplomatic consideration but part of the three countries’ security calculations to prevent rival actors from getting ahead of the process.
The concern emerged as Israel had, in recent months, been pursuing efforts to build a network of security cooperation with India and several regional countries. On February 22, 2026, Benjamin Netanyahu publicly floated the idea of creating a “hexagon of alliances”—a framework involving Israel, India, Greece, and Cyprus, with the participation of several Arab, African, and Asian countries also being considered.
According to informed sources, about a month after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel on February 25, Pakistan proposed accelerating the formation of a defense framework involving Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The turning point in the process, according to the same sources, came on March 25 during a Greek National Day reception at the Greek Embassy, where Pakistani officials happened to overhear a conversation between the UAE and U.S. ambassadors concerning the Israel-India security initiative and the possible participation of the UAE, Bahrain, and Greece.
According to informed sources, the information was interpreted in Islamabad as indicating that India and Israel had been working for some time on a multilateral military agreement and that Modi’s visit may have been part of the process of finalizing it. The assessment gained added significance given that Netanyahu had publicly unveiled the “hexagon” concept only days before Modi’s visit.
After the assessment was relayed to Islamabad, the issue was reviewed at the highest levels of Pakistan’s security establishment. Concerns that new security arrangements could alter the regional balance of power strengthened Islamabad’s motivation to advance its own initiative. Within this framework, Pakistan sought to persuade Turkey and Saudi Arabia to establish a joint defense framework.
At the same time, escalating Israeli rhetoric against Turkey and the promotion of the idea of “Greater Israel” reportedly provided an additional incentive for Ankara to join the initiative. From Pakistan’s perspective, Turkey, with its military capabilities and geopolitical standing, and Saudi Arabia, with its economic, political, and religious weight, were complementary pillars for creating a new deterrence framework.
The pact, however, cannot be viewed solely as a product of developments following Modi’s visit. The Pakistan-Saudi defense agreement signed in September 2025 was an important foundation for the process. Documented reports also indicate that negotiations to expand defense cooperation among the three countries continued before the final agreement was reached.
During the confidential talks, the possible membership of several major Muslim countries was also considered. Ultimately, however, the three countries decided to establish the pact initially with the participation of the three founding members. Egypt was among the countries discussed, but according to informed sources, the Turkish side cautioned about Cairo’s constraints in playing an independent role in a new defense pact. As a result, Egyptian membership was not pursued at this stage.
The Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense pact can be viewed as part of a broader contest over the future security architecture of the region. On one side is the effort to expand security networks centered around Israel and India; on the other is the push by regional powers to establish more independent deterrence arrangements.
Against this backdrop, concerns over the potential role of actors such as the UAE, as an Israeli ally in the region, were among the factors that reportedly prompted the three countries to keep the negotiations confidential and accelerate the finalization of the pact.
Nournews