The pact, notably, has already faced its first real-world test — and, going by an analysis in the Jerusalem Post, arguably failed it. When Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen struck an Aramco refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, the newly formed alliance offered no visible military response or deterrent threat, raising early questions about how much operational teeth its “collective deterrence” language actually carries. Similarly, Saudi Arabia didn’t interfere during Pakistan military’s skirmishes with the Afghanistan’s Taliban.
