Egypt’s Parliament approved a mandate for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to support Saudi Arabia’s defense Monday, allowing possible assistance if Riyadh asks amid Houthi attacks threatening Red Sea security.
Reuters reported the approval based on accounts from lawmakers and local media. Ahram Online described the vote as authority for al-Sisi to take measures to support and defend the kingdom. The reports described an authorization, not a troop deployment.
The Egyptian presidency said the National Defense Council pledged support for Saudi Arabia on Oct. 18 but did not specify a military deployment. Lawmakers had postponed the debate until Monday, Oct. 26, as EconoTimes previously reported. Ahram Online reported that al-Sisi sought parliamentary authorization on Oct. 17.
On Oct. 21, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and handed him a letter addressed to King Salman bin Abdulaziz, according to Egyptian and Saudi official accounts.
Separately, the Egyptian State Information Service said al-Sisi spoke at Egypt Forum 2026 on Oct. 21 and limited any Egyptian military role to defending Saudi territory and borders, not attacking Yemen. The service also said Abdelatty backed diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.
Reuters reported that Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco disrupted flights and oil exports. It also reported that Houthi advances threaten Bab el-Mandeb, a Red Sea passage leading toward Egypt’s Suez Canal. Reuters cited aid agencies’ warnings that Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, already among the world’s worst, was deteriorating.
Saudi Arabia is a key financial partner for Egypt, Reuters reported, citing billions of dollars in aid, central-bank deposits and energy supplies. Egypt’s contribution to the Saudi-led coalition in 2015 centered on maritime security, with warships patrolling Red Sea shipping routes. Reuters said Egypt also sent about 800 ground troops, whose combat role was limited.
Reuters described Egypt’s 1960s intervention in Yemen as costly. It said the 1991 Gulf War was the last time Egypt undertook a major overseas ground deployment. Any assistance under the new mandate would depend on a Saudi request, with al-Sisi saying Egypt’s role would be defensive.
