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President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi has announced that Egypt’s National Defence Council has agreed to provide military support to Saudi Arabia following a surge in attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The council, chaired by the President, reached a consensus on the need for defensive assistance to protect the kingdom’s territory and stability. This development marks a significant deepening of the security alliance between Cairo and Riyadh in response to the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
During the discussions, President al-Sissi emphasized that Egypt’s military involvement would be strictly defensive and based on a direct request for assistance from the Saudi government. To facilitate this, an emergency parliamentary session has been scheduled to discuss the legal framework for such a deployment. The president noted that while the National Defence Council supports the move, the final decision rests on constitutional processes that ensure national oversight.
Under the Egyptian constitution, the deployment of the armed forces on combat missions outside the state requires the approval of a two-thirds majority in parliament. This legislative requirement serves as a critical checkpoint for any foreign military commitment, reflecting the weight of the decision to join regional security operations. Currently, no specific details regarding the size of the forces or the timeline for deployment have been released to the public.
The move comes as the Iran-allied Houthi movement intensifies its operations against Saudi targets, prompting regional powers to reassess their security strategies. By pledging support, Egypt reaffirms its role as a cornerstone of Arab collective security. The outcome of the upcoming parliamentary debate will be closely watched by international observers as a signal of Egypt's readiness to play a more active role in stabilizing the region.