Some Egyptian political parties and lawmakers are objecting to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s request to send troops to Saudi Arabia, warning the move could pull the country into an expanding regional war with significant military and economic costs.
The objections followed al-Sisi’s Oct. 17 request that parliament authorize sending troops to help the kingdom defend against Yemen’s Houthis, which the U.S. State Department has designated a terrorist organization.
A yes vote could commit Egyptian troops to Saudi Arabia’s fight against the Iran-backed Houthis, whose attacks have hit Saudi airports and oil facilities. It would go well beyond Egypt’s limited role in the Saudi-led coalition in 2015, which stopped short of a large-scale ground deployment, and test how far Cairo will go to protect the Red Sea shipping and Suez Canal traffic its economy depends on.
The pushback comes amid reports of Egyptian efforts to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis to halt weeks of escalation that has seen extensive damage to Saudi oil and transportation infrastructure.
Parliament announced on Monday that it had postponed a vote on the authorization until Oct. 26.
The opposition parties are concerned with the nature and scope of the military mission, the risks facing Egyptian troops, and the possibility that Egypt could become embroiled in a protracted confrontation with the Houthis.
Opposition and Reservations
The Civil Democratic Movement, an alliance of opposition parties, rejected any Egyptian role in a regional war and said Cairo should focus on mediation instead.
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party said its lawmakers would abstain, though it does not oppose supporting Saudi Arabia in principle.
In a statement published by Al Shorouk newspaper, the party said it first needed to know the mission’s objectives, duration and costs, and how troops would be protected.
The party holds 11 seats in the House of Representatives, according to data from Egypt’s State Information Service.
Mohamed Abdel-Alim Dawoud, a lawmaker from the Wafd Party, announced on Facebook that he would also abstain even though his party has expressed support for a deployment.
Can the Opposition Influence the Decision?
Pro-Sisi parties dominate the Egyptian House of Representatives, and several smaller parties—including Wafd, Adl and the Republican People’s Party—back his request, so the opposition parties could not block a deployment on their own.
Article 152 of Egypt’s Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in the House, at least 398 of its 596 members, to send troops on a combat mission abroad.
Opposition parties won 53 of 568 elected seats and independents 105, according to January figures from Egypt’s State Information Service.
MBN contacted several members of the House of Representatives, who declined to comment before the vote, citing closed sessions.
Egypt has not disclosed how many troops might send or what they would do, a main driver of the objections.
The Calculations Between War and Mediation
Lawmaker Mostafa Bakry said on X that the weeklong delay in the vote was tied to Egyptian efforts to broker a political settlement in Yemen.
He said Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed an initiative with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, ensure freedom of navigation and open a path to negotiations. It was unclear whether Saudi Arabia or the Houthis had accepted it.
Effat El-Sadat, head of the Sadat Democratic Party and a senator, told MBN that standing with Saudi Arabia was compatible with diplomacy, but that mediation needed clear guarantees against renewed fighting.
Mohamed Hegazy, a former Egyptian assistant foreign minister, told MBN that Egypt’s stance should not be read as a move toward war, and that Arab solidarity and deterrence could help contain the escalation alongside diplomacy.
Al-Azhar, Egypt’s leading Islamic institution, called for an Arab and Islamic mediation committee, and the Journalists Syndicate said diplomacy should take priority.
Fighting in Yemen
Meanwhile, Yahya Ali al-Ra’i, speaker of the Houthi-controlled parliament in Sanaa, sent a letter to his Egyptian counterpart urging him not to approve Egypt’s participation in the fighting alongside Saudi Arabia. Al-Ra’i warned that Egyptian involvement in the war could threaten Egypt’s national security and domestic stability.
A Houthi missile attack on a government training camp in Shabwa province on Monday killed 73 people and wounded more than 200, according to The Associated Press. The U.S. Embassy in Yemen condemned the attack.
Faisal al-Awadi, an adviser to Yemen’s information minister, told MBN that prospects for mediation had narrowed since the government decided to “end the presence of the Houthi militias and restore state institutions.”
Lotfi Noman, a member of Yemen’s Shura Council, said any mediation should start with talks between the government and the Houthis, backed by regional powers.
Parliament is scheduled to vote Oct. 26, as Egypt’s mediation push continues.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
