Egypt Parliament Backs El-Sisi’s Offer to Defend Saudi Arabia

Egypt’s parliament gave President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi the green light to take steps necessary to defend Saudi Arabia, as the Houthis in Yemen keep up strikes against the kingdom.

The lawmakers’ approval on Monday came a little over a week after El-Sisi said Egypt stands ready to provide any support requested by the Saudi leadership, and asked parliament to convene an emergency session on the matter. The decision was announced by the state-run Middle East News Agency.

Egypt has so far avoided military involvement in the Iran-US war, focusing instead on a mediating role and calling for deescalation as the broader Middle East has been roiled by months of upheaval.

It’s unclear if Saudi Arabia has made any official request for Egypt’s support, nor what any assistance would entail.

Last week, El-Sisi said that any support Egypt provided, subject to request, would be only to defend the kingdom and wouldn’t include attacks in Yemen, state media reported.

Read More: Egypt Ready to Defend Saudi Arabia If Needed, Sisi Says

The Egyptian president has described his nation’s security as tied to that of the Gulf Arab states. He has condemned attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis that are targeting Saudi Arabia and have also affected maritime traffic in the Red Sea.

Houthi threats to shipping that began in late 2023 as Israel battled Hamas in Gaza have dented Egypt’s revenue from the Suez Canal, an important source of foreign exchange for the North African nation of nearly 110 million people.

Read More: Houthis Hit Yemen Airport as Saudi Arabia Intercepts Attacks

Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, have been been key allies for Egypt in recent years, injecting billions of dollars in investments and helping turn around an economy that had been mired in its worst crisis in a generation.

Ahead of the parliamentary debates that began last week, El-Sisi led a meeting of the National Defense Council, which includes top military and intelligence officials. The body vowed to provide all necessary support to Saudi Arabia and intensify political and diplomatic efforts to deescalate tensions, according to a presidency statement.