The Supreme Military Committee of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held an emergency meeting in Doha in response to an Israeli strike on Qatar’s capital, the regional organization announced.
According to the GCC Secretariat, the chiefs of staff of the Gulf monarchies discussed “strengthening joint defense and enhancing deterrence capabilities” in the region.
On September 9, Israel carried out strikes targeting leaders of the Palestinian Hamas movement based in Doha. The group reported six fatalities, including the son of its Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya and a member of Qatar’s security forces. In the aftermath, an extraordinary summit of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held in Doha to address the strike. Participants expressed full support for any measures Qatar takes in response to the Israeli attack.
The day before, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defense agreement stipulating that “any aggression against one country will be considered aggression against both,” according to a statement by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s office. A senior Saudi official told Reuters the agreement is comprehensive and “covers all military means,” emphasizing it caps years of negotiation and is not a reaction to current events.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country with the largest army in the Muslim world, traditionally supports Saudi Arabia’s military presence. Reuters reports that between 1,500 to 2,000 Pakistani troops provide technical and operational assistance to the kingdom’s armed forces.
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Based on materials from TASS