Syria is considering joining the Makkah Defence Alliance, a regional security pact involving Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced on Saturday.
Speaking during a regional security session at the Manama Dialogue 2026, Shaibani said discussions were underway to assess Syria’s possible membership, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
“Discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” he said.
The foreign minister described Syria as an integral part of regional security and expressed support for cooperative arrangements aimed at maintaining stability.
He emphasised that the region was “in greater need than ever” of developing collective deterrence and defence capabilities.
Addressing the conflict in Yemen, Shaibani reaffirmed Damascus’s support for the internationally recognised Yemeni government in restoring sovereignty and stability, while urging all parties to respect the territorial integrity of states.
The minister also strongly criticised Israel’s military operations in Syria, claiming that Israeli forces had conducted more than 1,000 attacks on Syrian territory in less than two years, killing dozens of people.
“How can calls for border control and placing weapons exclusively under state control be justified while Syrian sovereignty is violated and targeted on a daily basis?” he asked.
Shaibani called for Israeli forces to return to positions held before December 8, 2024, and demanded implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel.
He reiterated Syria’s claim to the occupied Golan Heights, citing United Nations Security Council Resolution 497, which declared Israel’s annexation of the territory legally invalid.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, Israeli forces entered the UN-monitored buffer zone established under the 1974 agreement and established additional military positions.
The United Nations has described Israel’s presence in the buffer zone as a violation of the disengagement agreement.
Syria’s consideration of membership in the Makkah Defence Alliance comes amid shifting regional security arrangements and growing calls for stronger cooperation among Middle Eastern countries.