A roundup of the latest developments in the Middle East

Key Points:

• Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have signed a mutual defense agreement stating that an armed attack on any one of them will be considered an attack on all three, aiming to strengthen collective deterrence against aggression.
• The agreement was signed during a meeting in Saudi Arabia between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reflecting Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its defense partnerships amid regional tensions.
• Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched missile and drone attacks on Marib province in eastern Yemen, targeting Saudi-backed military camps and civilian areas, resulting in casualties and escalating the conflict after a 2022 truce.
• The Houthis also carried out an attack on the Najran region in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, wounding 11 civilians, as part of ongoing hostilities against the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s recognized government.
• In southern Lebanon, an Israeli strike lightly wounded a Lebanese soldier in Mansouri village; this follows recent Israeli shelling in response to alleged Hezbollah ceasefire violations, marking increased tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.