WorldPosted at: Oct 26 2026 10:04PM


Egypt's parliament authorises President Sissi to provide Saudi Arabia with military aid amid increasing Houthi attacks

Cairo, Oct 26 (UNI) Egypt's parliament on Monday authorised President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to provide military support to Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks and concerns about a wider regional conflict.
In a statement, parliament said the vote authorised el-Sissi to take necessary measures to support Saudi Arabia in defending its territory and sovereignty against external "aggression". The chamber did not disclose the vote breakdown, although it is overwhelmingly dominated by pro-government lawmakers.
The government has not publicly detailed the proposed assistance, prompting questions among lawmakers about its scope. However, a regional official briefed on the matter said Egypt would deploy air defence systems and aircraft to help intercept missiles and drones targeting Saudi Arabia. The support would be defensive and would not involve sending ground troops to Yemen, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The vote, originally scheduled for last week, was delayed following two days of deliberations amid growing public concern over Egypt's potential involvement in Yemen's protracted conflict. As the discussions were held behind closed doors, details of the debate were not immediately available.
Earlier this month, Egypt's National Defence Council, chaired by el-Sissi, pledged "all necessary and possible forms of support" to Saudi Arabia to protect its security, resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites. The council also said Cairo would intensify diplomatic efforts to find a settlement to the conflict.
"I'm not speaking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone. I'm speaking only for defence," el-Sissi said earlier this month, pledging to take measures to protect Saudi Arabia.
Seeking to reassure Egyptians last week, he rejected suggestions that Cairo was preparing to attack Yemen.
"That is certainly not the case," he said, adding that Egypt had not engaged in co-operation aimed at conducting combat operations beyond the borders of countries with which it works. "Our focus is on the defence of the kingdom's territory and its borders."
The opposition Egyptian Social Democratic Party said its 11-member parliamentary bloc would abstain from the vote, due to a lack of information about the mission's objectives, scope, duration and costs, as well as the risks to Egyptian troops. The party further urged the government to prioritise diplomacy and avoid an open-ended military commitment.
Saudi Arabia is a major financial backer of Egypt, providing billions of dollars in aid and investments, particularly since el-Sissi came to power following the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Remittances from Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia are also an important source of foreign currency for Cairo.
The prospect of renewed Egyptian military involvement in Yemen has revived darker memories of the country's intervention in the civil war during the 1960s. The conflict began in 1962 after army commander Abdullah al-Sallal overthrew King Muhammad al-Badr and declared North Yemen a republic.
Egypt and the Soviet union backed republican forces, while Saudi Arabia and the UK supported royalists. Then-president Gamal Abdel Nasser sent tens of thousands of Egyptian troops to Yemen to support al-Sallal, drawing Cairo into a decade-long intervention.
The campaign has often been considered one of the lower moments of Nasser's presidency, and widely regarded as a major factor in the strain on Egypt's military and economy before its defeat by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
More recently, Egypt deployed naval vessels to the Red Sea off Yemen in 2015 to support the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, but did not send ground troops.
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