Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sept. 17 that recent Houthi attacks meant the time had come to implement the Mecca agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. His call followed Saudi appeals for foreign air defense assistance as the kingdom faces continued attacks from Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has asked France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt for air defense support as its missile interceptor stocks dwindle, the Associated Press reported. The Saudi-led coalition said Houthi missile and drone attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Sept. 14 injured 13 civilians and damaged seven homes and two vehicles.

The coalition also said it intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Sept. 15 before it entered restricted airspace around the holy city. A Houthi official rejected the Saudi account as “a worn-out lie,” AFP reported. Pakistan condemned the attempted attack the following day, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged restraint and dialogue to prevent further regional escalation.