Egypt Parliament Approves Potential Army Deployment to Support Saudi Arabia Against Houthis

Egyptian Parliament Authorizes Potential Military Deployment

The Egyptian House of Representatives voted to authorize a potential foreign military deployment to support Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels in Yemen, lesechos.fr reported. Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi received the mandate to take necessary measures to defend the territory, sovereignty, and holy sites of the kingdom following a parliamentary vote that required three sessions over a week to conclude. Presided over by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the National Defense Council decided to bring “all possible forms of support” to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security, according to a presidential statement. In Egypt, Parliament ultimately authorized a possible deployment of the army abroad, in support of Saudi Arabia against Yemeni Houthi rebels.

Defensive Posture and Diplomatic Context

Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi has repeatedly stated that any potential intervention remains strictly defensive. “We are speaking only of defense, I am not speaking of confronting or attacking anyone,” Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi stated, as reported by lesechos.fr. The Egyptian leader conditioned any troop deployment on an explicit request from Saudi Arabia, which has not yet issued a public response on the matter, though Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman recently received Egyptian diplomatic and intelligence chiefs in Riyadh.

Ahmed Aboudouh, an associate fellow at Chatham House, noted that the weeklong parliamentary debate reflected parallel efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution that have not yet succeeded, according to lesechos.fr. Aboudouh also pointed out that the potential deployment offers Egypt an opportunity to demonstrate that its powerful army retains regional influence after facing criticism for not doing enough to aid Gulf allies.

Historical Hesitation and Regional Alliances

Public skepticism remains high in Egypt regarding a military engagement in Yemen. Egyptians remember the painful intervention of their troops in Yemen during the 1960s under President Nasser, which resulted in significant casualties.

Cairo has maintained a cautious distance from broader regional defense pacts, notably declining to join the “Mecca” mutual defense pact signed in August between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Careful, the Egyptian authorities did not join the mutual defense pact known as “Mecca”. Abdelrahim Shalaby, a former Egyptian diplomat who worked in the Gulf countries, explained to lesechos.fr that Egypt wants to maintain its independence and avoid getting pulled into conflicts stemming from its allies’ strained relationships with other nations.

Despite this diplomatic caution, the administration of Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi remains financially tied to Riyadh. Saudi Arabia holds more than $10 billion in deposits at the Central Bank of Egypt, with $5 billion of those funds reaching maturity in October, and the kingdom is the top source of remittances for Egyptian workers abroad, as reported by lesechos.fr.

Escalating Conflict on the Ground

The decision by Egyptian authorities follows a sharp escalation in attacks by Houthi rebels targeting Saudi airports and oil infrastructure with drones and missiles, according to reporting by lactualite.com. These attacks have killed at least 19 people, disrupted thousands of flights, and shaken global markets. Also on Sunday, the Saudi Minister of Defense spoke with the President of the United Arab Emirates regarding ways to strengthen cooperation, according to the Emirati news agency WAM. Brigadier General Yahya Saree, military spokesperson for the Houthis, stated that 110 missiles or airstrikes had been launched against civilian sites in Sanaa and other cities. The conflict also exacts a heavy toll on civilians in Yemen; a recent airstrike in the northern province of Saada killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, according to the Houthi-led health ministry cited by lactualite.com.

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