Egypt’s parliament has given President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the green light to deploy troops to help defend Saudi Arabia against escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Lawmakers voted Monday to allow Sisi to take “all necessary measures” in defense of the Gulf ally, according to Reuters. At least two-thirds of the chamber supported the authorization in a closed session, with no public vote count released.
Riyadh has not formally requested troops, and the authorization did not spell out what support would involve. Taher al-Khouly, deputy head of parliament’s legislative committee, told Reuters that Egypt would send forces only in coordination with the kingdom and at its request.
Cairo is stressing the defensive nature of the move. Sisi wrote to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Egyptian help would protect Saudi territory and borders without extending into Yemen, Reuters reported. Senate Speaker Essam Farid described Egypt’s position as purely defensive, saying the country stands with its allies as a protective shield rather than an attacking force.
The vote follows weeks of intensifying Houthi strikes on the kingdom. An Oct. 10 attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and wounded more than 300, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation. The Saudi-led coalition has counted 19 dead and 364 injured across Saudi airports since early October, Bernama reported. Houthi forces have also struck Saudi Aramco oil facilities, disrupting exports.
The decision did not go unchallenged at home. The opposition Civil Democratic Movement rejected drawing Egypt into a regional war and said Cairo should stick to mediation, according to Reuters. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party directed its lawmakers to abstain, citing a lack of detail on the mission’s goals, length and cost, Al Jazeera reported.
Those objections were never likely to block the measure. Passage required a two-thirds vote in the 596-seat House, a threshold Sisi’s allies could reach on their own, according to The National.
The move marks a notable shift in Egypt’s regional posture. Egypt has stayed out of the mutual defense pact Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed in August, according to Reuters. Cairo last joined the Saudi-led coalition in 2015, mainly as a naval partner in a limited combat role.
The two countries share deep financial ties. Saudi Arabia is among Egypt’s largest financial backers, providing billions of dollars in aid, deposits and energy under Sisi.
The authorization comes as the kingdom looks to bolster its defenses against the Houthis, who have stepped up long-range attacks on Saudi infrastructure and civilian targets. Whether Egyptian forces ultimately deploy will depend on a formal request from Riyadh, which has yet to come.
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