A committee of the Makkah Defence Pact between Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will hold talks in Riyadh on Monday, with Turkish ministers among those attending, Reuters reports citing the Turkish foreign ministry.

The development comes after the leader of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government announced the beginning of a major military operation against the Houthis earlier today, aimed at seizing the territory under their control.

“The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage reached in the Alliance’s institutionalisation efforts,” the Turkish statement says, adding that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and chief of the general staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu will attend the meeting of the pact’s strategic political and defence committee, along with officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.