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Saudi Arabia wants Türkiye to establish a military presence on its territory modeled on its deployment in Qatar to deter potential attacks, Turkish security sources said.
Saudi officials believe Turkish troops would provide an important security guarantee, according to the sources, who stressed that any deployment would require parliamentary approval and serve exclusively defensive and deterrent purposes.
The request does not envisage Turkish participation in operations against the Houthis, Turkish sources said.
“The model Saudi Arabia is requesting is essentially the military presence model Türkiye has implemented in Qatar,” the sources said.
“Since Türkiye established a military presence in Qatar, no attacks have taken place against that country,” they said, adding that Saudi Arabia wants to establish a similar deterrence mechanism.
The sources linked the Saudi request to the principle of collective deterrence underpinning the Mecca alliance between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The Mecca agreement has not yet entered into force, they said. Its implementation requires the Turkish Parliament to approve an authorizing motion.
“If Parliament grants approval and Turkish troops are deployed to Saudi Arabia, their military presence there will serve solely as a deterrent,” the sources said.
The sources ruled out Turkish troops joining operations against the Houthis, stressing that Saudi Arabia’s request for a military presence should not be interpreted as a request for combat participation.
“Turkish soldiers will not undertake any operational action against the Houthis and will certainly not engage in combat,” they said.
Deployment locations would be selected in line with that approach. Troops would not be stationed in high-risk areas where clashes could occur, such as the border with Yemen, according to the sources.
“The Turkish military presence in Saudi Arabia will be based entirely on defense and deterrence,” they said.
Saudi Arabia also submitted a list of defense products and systems it needs at the latest meeting, which Pakistani officials attended, the sources said. The requests include air defense systems, intelligence sharing and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Türkiye and Pakistan will evaluate the list separately. Relevant state institutions will assess Saudi requirements against available capabilities before deciding which products and systems can be supplied and where cooperation is possible.
The sources cautioned that meeting all the requests would not be possible.
Türkiye already provides Saudi Arabia with support in air defense, electronic warfare, training and other technical areas, they said.
The Mecca alliance aims to bring together the capabilities and resources of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, facilitate joint military training and deter potential attacks against all three countries, according to the sources.
They said the alliance was not established to resolve historical disputes involving its members.
“Its main objective is to establish a strong deterrence mechanism within the framework of a shared understanding of security,” the sources said.
They also described Türkiye as playing an active role in shaping an emerging regional security architecture in the Middle East through its alliances and strategic partnerships.
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