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Daily Brief · Issue #428
Houthi Success Tests Mecca Defence Pact
Back to homeBasedment Analysis
ISSUE #42811 Sept 20264 min read5 stories · 1 deep dive
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The Briefing
◆Here’s what’s happening in geopolitics today. Today’s edition opens in Yemen, where the Houthis have captured a strategic Red Sea port, before heading to Sweden as voters prepare for a tightly contested election shaped partly by divisions over Israel and Palestine.
Elsewhere, Hong Kong has jailed three prominent Tiananmen vigil organisers, South Korea and Iran are keeping the diplomatic phone lines open over Hormuz, and Algeria has abruptly shown the UAE the diplomatic door.
Then, today’s conflict tracker examines the Mecca defence pact as Pakistan has said they will not intervene in the wake of Houthi success
— The Basedment Editorial Team· 11 Sept 2026
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The Last 24 Hours in Geopolitics
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Houthis seize Yemen port, threatening key Red Sea shipping route
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, forcing Saudi-backed government troops south towards Dhubab. The advance brings the group closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major global shipping route that has become increasingly important to Saudi oil exports amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. The capture follows Houthi attacks that wounded 73 people and damaged energy infrastructure in southern Saudi Arabia, prompting intensified Saudi airstrikes across Yemen.
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Sweden heads to polls on Sunday with Israel and Palestine policies on the ballot
Sweden votes in a closely contested parliamentary election on Sunday, with policy towards Israel and Palestine emerging as a dividing line between the country’s political blocs. The Left Party advocates suspending the EU’s trade agreement with Israel and ending Swedish military cooperation, while the Sweden Democrats strongly support Israel and favour tighter scrutiny of funding for Palestinian organisations. The issue has gained particular prominence among Muslim and Middle Eastern-background voters, although immigration, crime, welfare and the economy remain the campaign’s dominant themes.
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Hong Kong’s Tiananmen activists sentenced to up to 7 years in prison
A Hong Kong court has sentenced former lawmakers Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho to seven years and five years and two months respectively, while lawyer Chow Hang-tung received seven years and three months. The former leaders of the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance were convicted of inciting subversion over the group’s calls to end one-party rule in China and its organisation of annual vigils commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Hong Kong authorities say the national security law protects stability, while critics argue the case further restricts peaceful political expression in the territory.
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South Korean, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Strait of Hormuz
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed regional tensions and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz during a telephone call requested by Tehran. Cho stressed the importance of safe maritime passage, while Araghchi outlined Iran’s position and both ministers agreed to maintain communication. The talks come as Seoul considers a possible contribution to international security efforts in the region, although South Korea says no decision on deploying military personnel or assets has been made.
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Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with the UAE
Algeria has severed diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, accusing Abu Dhabi of repeated “provocative or hostile” actions without identifying a specific incident. The UAE ambassador was given 48 hours to leave, while Algeria said it would close its airspace to UAE-registered civilian and military aircraft, with a temporary exemption for commercial flights serving Algiers. Relations have deteriorated amid disagreements over Western Sahara, ties with Israel and regional influence in the Sahel, while the UAE said it hoped the rupture would be temporary.
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Daily Deep Dive
◆Analysis · middle east
Houthi Success Tests Mecca Defence Pact
Pakistan has said they will not intervene in the wake of Houthi success at least not just yet.
Conflict Tracker
Yemeni Civil War The first major test for the Mecca defence pact… And it’s not gotten off to a good start so far. What happened? Pakistan says no military response to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia is currently under discussion under the Mecca defence pact, leaving its potential involvement unresolved as regional fighting intensifies.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Islamabad would act when the “time comes”. The agreement, signed last month by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, treats an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three. Reuters did not report that Pakistan had rejected a formal Saudi request or invoked exclusions for existing conflicts or non-state actors.
Separate reporting points to a narrower operational position: Pakistani officials described their role as defending Saudi territory. Sources said representatives from all three countries coordinated in Riyadh and agreed their troops would not enter Yemen. Pakistan could provide military and technical assistance inside the kingdom, while no decision had been taken to join retaliatory strikes. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif nevertheless warned that aggression spilling into Saudi Arabia could activate the arrangement.
Islamabad faces competing pressures. Saudi security ties support its pursuit of Gulf investment, while relations with Tehran underpin its diplomatic role. Pakistan also depends on energy shipments through waterways vulnerable to Iranian and Houthi disruption. Pakistani soldiers deployed near Yemen’s border increase its exposure if fighting spreads. The strategic implication is that collective defence still requires political decisions about the scale, location and purpose of military involvement. Protecting Saudi infrastructure and joining an offensive campaign in Yemen would create different commitments and escalation risks.
Another issue is that the Saudis could ask Turkey, the pact’s third partner, to expand its military role, but doing so could carry political risks. If Turkish forces helped secure the Yemeni coast, Riyadh could face an ally gaining lasting influence over ports and access to Bab al-Mandab. From that perspective, Turkish assistance could address an immediate security threat while complicating Saudi Arabia’s longer-term regional interests.
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Tweet of the Day
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Today in History
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This Day in History
TODAY IN HISTORY (Sep 11, 2001): World Trade Center and Pentagon attacked by terrorists
On this day in 2001, 19 militants associated with the terrorist group al-Qaeda hijacked four planes in the United States, crashing three into buildings (the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania) and killing some 3,000 people.
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