Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that Egypt would take any measures necessary to defend Saudi Arabia if asked, amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom, and asked parliament to authorise that action in advance. Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy, Sisi said it was inconceivable that Egypt would allow Saudi Arabia, its security or its stability to be harmed, and stressed that Egypt was not seeking to attack anyone and would act only in defence.
The request has a timetable. Sisi said he knew the step required the approval of the Egyptian parliament and asked that an emergency session be held so it could give the authorisation if Egypt is asked. Parliament announced a plenary session at 1 p.m. on Sunday in response, without disclosing the agenda. Sisi said Egypt would act in accordance with guidance from Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who visited Cairo on September 15 after fighting in Yemen reignited, to discuss security and Red Sea navigation among other issues.
One step beyond the speech was reported on Sunday morning but rests on a single source: Mostafa Bakry, a member of the House of Representatives, posted that the National Defence Council, meeting under Sisi, had approved sending troops to Saudi Arabia on a defensive mission. The presidency’s own account of that meeting pledged solidarity and all necessary assistance to defend the kingdom but did not explicitly announce a deployment. That claim is reported here as one lawmaker’s account, not as a confirmed decision.
The context is the renewed Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia, which in recent days has hit Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco facilities, and the collapse of the Yemen truce in July. Egypt joined the Saudi led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015, and Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have provided Egypt with billions of dollars in aid, central bank deposits and investment since 2013. Sisi also used the speech to warn against threats to Red Sea shipping, the channel where Houthi attacks already cost Egypt Suez Canal revenue, and to confirm he will leave office in 2030 under the amended constitution.