Syria Says It’s Considering Joining Saudi-Led Mecca Defense Pact

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, a former al-Qaeda member, said that Damascus was considering joining the Mecca defense pact, the new military alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey. “Discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” al-Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. Al-Shaibani’s comments come several weeks after several media outlets reported…