Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has called for an emergency parliamentary session to authorise him to approve any requests from Saudi Arabia for defence assistance, should Riyadh ask. Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy on Saturday, el-Sisi said Egypt would “carry out any measure to protect” Saudi Arabia in accordance with directives from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He acknowledged the matter required parliamentary approval and urged lawmakers to convene. “I am not speaking in order for us to fight anyone or attack anyone. I am speaking only for defence,” he said.
The request follows a series of attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement. Recent strikes have targeted key infrastructure on the outskirts of Riyadh, appearing to edge closer to the city centre. A Houthi attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport earlier this month killed 14 people and wounded more than 300. Other airports, including those in Dammam, Abha, Jazan and Najran, have also been targeted. The attacks come as Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government launched a full-scale military campaign this month to recapture territory seized by the Houthis.
El-Sisi had backed Saudi calls for secure Red Sea navigation in a meeting with the Saudi crown prince in Cairo last month, stating that “the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is an integral part of Egypt’s national security”. The Houthis recently seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast, gaining significant control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Suez Canal. Saudi Arabia already has a defence pact with Pakistan and Turkiye, known as the Mecca Alliance for Defence, signed in August.