Turkey to deploy troops and air defence systems to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks
Turkey plans to step up its military support for Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks by deploying additional personnel and defence equipment amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom, several Turkish officials told Middle East Eye on Tuesday.
In a joint statement on Monday, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia said they had decided to immediately implement their collective defence commitments under the Makkah Alliance for Defence and provide "the agreed military forces and capabilities to ensure their rapid deployment" to the kingdom.
Two Turkish officials familiar with Ankara's plans told MEE that Turkey had maintained technical teams, air defence systems and electronic warfare equipment in the kingdom since last year to protect critical infrastructure, including energy facilities.
One senior Turkish official said Ankara would send additional equipment, technicians, emergency response teams and accompanying combat forces.
The official said a 2010 military training agreement between Saudi Arabia and Turkey allows Ankara to deploy limited forces to the kingdom for technical purposes. Further deployments, however, would require parliamentary authorisation under the Turkish constitution.
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"We have to ratify the Makkah treaty as well but we may prioritise the military deployment authorisation bill," the official added.
A second Turkish official said Ankara planned to station military forces at at least one command base, solely to provide defensive support to Saudi Arabia.
"Technical teams carried out work in Saudi Arabia throughout September for the command base project, and preparations were nearing completion around the time the first Makkah Strategic Political and Defence Committee meeting was held," the official said.
The officials said a limited number of Turkish special forces could be deployed to the kingdom after the Turkish parliament approves a formal authorisation, which is expected later this month.
Separate sources familiar with the planning told MEE that, following parliamentary approval, the Turkish military would deploy an undisclosed number of experienced pilots and aircraft to Saudi Arabia to counter drones and ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen.
"We don't plan to send a large group of soldiers and have no plans to directly intervene in Yemen," the senior Turkish official said.
"Ankara still believes diplomatic efforts might bear fruit in coming months."
Protect Riyadh, holy sites and major pipeline
The Turkish military is expected to help protect the western section of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline and contribute to the defence of Riyadh and the holy cities.
Saudi sources told MEE that Turkish forces would operate alongside their Saudi and Pakistani counterparts at a joint coordination base, while the Turkish command unit would maintain a separate base of its own.
Turkish military personnel and technical defence support teams would be responsible for operations across multiple locations.
Murat Yesiltas, an academic and a member of Turkish Presidency's advisory board on foreign policy, said that Ankara would likely bring the Mecca Pact, or a deployment authorisation, to the Turkish Grand National Assembly's agenda within the next 30 days.
"Turkey's initial contribution, however, is far more likely to take the form of air defense, anti-drone systems, or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) elements on Saudi Arabian soil, rather than deploying combat troops in Yemen," he wrote in a social media post.
"This approach allows Turkey to integrate into Riyadh's security network while simultaneously enabling it to controllably limit the level of risk and engagement it undertakes."
MEE was first to report in September that Turkey was preparing to provide defensive assistance to the kingdom while avoiding direct intervention inside Yemen.
For their part, the Houthis have denied trying to target the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, with the group's leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, calling the claims last month a "major lie."
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