Egypt’s parliament on Monday authorized President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to take “all necessary measures” to support Saudi Arabia in defending its territory against attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, after last week Sisi made a preemptive request: deployment approval should Riyadh request assistance.
The House of Representatives said it had approved the president’s request by a two-thirds majority after holding three closed-door sessions on October 18, 19 and 26, while continuing diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully.
Major General Khaled Shahdi, an assistant defense minister for legal and constitutional affairs, attended the sessions, where eleven lawmakers from the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, along with some independent members, abstained from voting.
The Egyptian statement coincided with unprecedented talks in Tehran, between representatives of the Mecca Defense Alliance including Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, as well as Iranian officials, aiming to “prevent a return to military escalation.”
The Mecca Defense Alliance is a trilateral military pact between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, signed August 7.
Major General Reda Farhat, a former Egyptian official and PHD in political science, told MBN that Parliament’s approval of Egyptian participation in Saudi Arabia’s defense would confirm the enduring principles guiding Egypt’s national security policy toward the Gulf. He also reaffirmed that the kingdom’s stability was a fundamental component of Egypt’s own national security.
Saudi Arabia has not publicly requested Egyptian military assistance, but Sisi said he sought parliament’s approval to ensure Egypt would be ready if such a request were made.
Motaz Ahmedein, Egypt’s former permanent representative to the United Nations, told MBN that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Egypt last month was intended to seek Egyptian assistance. Ahmedein said such support could involve troops, air-defense systems or mediation between the kingdom and Yemen’s Houthi movement, he said.
Ongoing attacks by Houthi groups, designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S., threaten the strategically important Bab el-Mandab Strait, a gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which is one of Egypt’s most important sources of foreign currency.
Neither Riyadh nor Cairo has officially confirmed such requests were made, but Yahya Ali al-Ra’i, speaker of Yemen’s Houthi-controlled parliament, urged Egypt’s parliament last week to reject the proposal, warning that “Egypt’s slide down this path would pose a grave danger to its national security and domestic stability before anyone else’s.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, along with head of the General Intelligence Service, Major General Hassan Rashad, visited Saudi Arabia last week, with a written message from Sisi. They were received by Prince Mohammed, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and intelligence chief Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan also attended the meeting.
Egypt’s Ahmedein said the foreign minister’s and intelligence chief’s visit was intended to “assess precisely what Egypt is being asked to provide.”
While attending sessions of the Egypt Forum in Cairo last week, Sisi said any Egyptian military effort would be limited to defending Saudi territory and would not include launching attacks into Yemen, stressing that Egypt’s support for Gulf states was an extension of shared Arab security, and that Gulf stability was a matter of direct concern to Egypt.
Under Sisi, the kingdom has provided Egypt with billions of dollars in aid, deposits at the central bank and energy supplies. According to a report published by Asharq Business on Oct. 16 after Cairo held talks with Riyadh to renew such investments, to the tune of $5.3 billion.
Nayef bin Khalid al-Waqa, a Saudi adviser and academic, told MBN that the Egyptian parliament’s approval of defensive support for Saudi Arabia was intended to prepare for possible developments in the region, including the potential collapse of the Iranian government.
Fighting has intensified in recent weeks between Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government, and the Houthis, who control the capital, Sanaa. The escalation has turned Yemen into a volatile front in the broader conflict between the U.S.-Israeli camp on one side and Iran on the other.
The Houthis recently launched attacks targeting Riyadh International Airport and facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco, disrupting air traffic and oil exports.
The Saudi crown prince has sought military assistance from the United States. But three people familiar with the matter told Reuters in September that President Donald Trump had not approved U.S. strikes against the Houthis. Washington had told Riyadh it would instead provide support through intelligence sharing and assistance in identifying targets, the sources said.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
