Egypt’s presidency said on Sunday that it stands ready to give Saudi Arabia the support it needs to defend its security and stability. According to Reuters, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked for an urgent parliamentary session to authorize the military to help defend the kingdom if Riyadh requests it.
A vote had been expected Sunday, but two lawmakers and local media said discussions would continue on Monday.
What the presidency said
The statement followed a meeting of the National Defence Council, chaired by Sisi and attended by the parliamentary speaker, the prime minister and the army chief. “Egypt will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security and stability, protect its resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites,” it said.
On Saturday, Sisi had told the nation Egypt would act in line with guidance from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who visited him on September 15 after fighting in Yemen reignited. The two countries are close strategic and economic partners. Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in 2015, though it played a limited combat role.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty wrote on X that he spoke with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, about regional developments and the need for de-escalation. Separately, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he met Abdelatty on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Baghdad on Saturday.
The Houthi offensive
On the timeline, the Houthis launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council on September 3, starting in Taiz. Reporting cited by Iran International says that in early September they also took the port city of Mokha, and that they now hold coastline along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. In recent days they have hit Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco, Reuters reported, as the Bab al-Mandeb shipping route came under threat after a truce collapsed.
The Wall Street Journal, as cited by Iran International, reported that Revolutionary Guard officers are in Yemen helping the Houthis with targeting, training, intelligence and tactical guidance, and that they helped deploy missiles and radars that threaten the Red Sea. Danny Citrinowicz, a former head of the Iran branch of Israeli defense intelligence, called the Tehran-Houthi relationship “very, very strong” and strategic rather than a simple patron-client tie. A UN panel found in 2024 that the Houthis had set up joint operations rooms in Lebanon and Iraq. Senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti rejects the allegations, saying they exaggerate Iran’s role and ignore the group’s own capabilities.
Risk of a wider war
Any Egyptian military backing could mark a major escalation in the wider war involving Iran, which has threatened global energy supplies. Reuters noted that Egypt could face Houthi attacks if it weighs in. Gulf states hosting US bases have faced repeated attacks from Iran and its allies, including the Houthis and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq.
Egypt has its own exposure. A drone struck its Mediterranean port of Damietta in July. No group claimed it, and Egypt has not blamed anyone, saying only that it is taking steps to protect national security.
Sources
- Live Updates: Latest from Israel, Iran, and the Middle East | The Jerusalem Post
- Iran, Egypt foreign ministers meet on sidelines of OIC meeting in Baghdad
- Egypt says ready to back Saudi Arabia in war against Iran-allied Houthis
Photo: وكالة الأنباء السعودية (CC BY-SA 4.0)
