Saudi Arabia under threat: Is the Mecca Alliance about to become the NATO of the Sunni Muslim world?

An analysis examining the security implications of the attack on Saudi Arabia, focusing on the potential of the 'Mecca Alliance' to transform from a declarative coalition into a regional defense mechanism. The Houthi threat, based on missiles and drones, exposes the kingdom's vulnerabilities and accelerates the need for broad security cooperation involving Turkey, Egypt, and Syria.

An analysis by Baruch Yedid on i24NEWS examines the broad security implications of the attack on Saudi Arabia, focusing on the potential of the 'Mecca Alliance' to transform from a declarative coalition into a regional defense mechanism. The Houthi threat, based on missiles and drones, exposes the kingdom's vulnerabilities, including oil facilities, the Yanbu port, and civilian airports. The article notes that the death toll from last night's (Saturday) incident at Riyadh airport stands at 12, with over 300 wounded. The crisis accelerates the need to move from ad-hoc cooperation to a broad regional concept, where countries share capabilities, intelligence, and security responsibility. The article examines the possibility of integrating Turkey, Egypt, and Syria into the framework, noting the combined military potential of approximately 1.5 million soldiers, about 3,400 aircraft, and about 6,000 tanks. However, the article emphasizes that the path to an effective defense alliance is still long, and the real test will be the ability to translate resources into operational cooperation and practical commitment to mutual defense.