Egypt's Parliament Approves Military Mandate for Saudi Defense
Lawmakers in Cairo authorized the armed forces on Monday to support Saudi Arabia's defense, following a request from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made last week.
By Carlos Rousseau ·
Egypt's parliament voted on Monday to authorize the country's military to provide support for the defense of Saudi Arabia, according to parliamentarians and local media reports. The vote could bring Egyptian forces into direct involvement in the regional conflict surrounding Houthi attacks on Gulf Arab states.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi requested the approval from lawmakers last week. Sisi specified that Egypt's support would be limited to defending Saudi territory and borders rather than attacking Yemen. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and intelligence chief Hassan Rashad traveled to Riyadh on Wednesday to deliver a letter from Sisi to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The mandate comes amid intensified Houthi operations against Saudi infrastructure. The group has targeted Riyadh's international airport and state oil giant Saudi Aramco, disrupting flights and oil exports. Houthi advances also threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as a gateway to Egypt's Suez Canal.
Egypt has previously participated in operations against the Houthis. Cairo joined the Saudi-led coalition in March 2015 during an earlier phase of Yemen's war, deploying warships to secure Red Sea shipping lanes and around 800 ground troops. Egypt has not publicly engaged in direct combat in the current conflict, nor has it joined the Mecca mutual defense pact signed in August between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey. Abdelatty said this month that Egyptian membership in the pact remains "under serious consideration."
Saudi Arabia maintains close political and financial ties with Cairo, providing billions of dollars in aid, central bank deposits, and energy supplies under Sisi. The Saudi crown prince visited Cairo on September 15 to discuss Red Sea security and navigation following renewed fighting in Yemen. Abdelatty and Rashad delivered Sisi's letter to the crown prince in Riyadh on Wednesday. Egypt has not deployed large-scale ground forces abroad since the 1991 Gulf War.
Aid agencies have warned of worsening conditions in Yemen, which is experiencing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi militia, which controls the capital Sanaa, has escalated in recent weeks.
