Egypt parliament authorises military support for Saudi Arabia
Egyptian lawmakers have approved military support for Saudi Arabia, described by officials as defensive, as Riyadh exchanges strikes with Yemen's Houthis.
Cairo — Egypt's parliament has authorised military support for Saudi Arabia, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government framing the move as a commitment to defend its close ally's territory as the kingdom exchanges increasingly deadly strikes with the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.
Lawmakers voted on Monday at the parliament building in the New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo, according to CNA. The size, composition and deployment of any Egyptian force were not disclosed, and it is not yet known when, or where, troops might be sent.
"We are talking about defending the land and borders of the kingdom," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said.
Officials have said Egyptian forces would be committed for defensive purposes only, The New York Times reported, a formulation that echoes Cairo's public emphasis on protecting Saudi soil rather than joining offensive operations in Yemen. CNA described Egypt's previous posture towards deeper involvement as one of "reticence".
The authorisation comes against a backdrop of cross-border strikes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, the Iranian-backed militia in Yemen. The Times described those exchanges as increasingly deadly, though neither outlet gave casualty figures for the latest round of fighting, and independent verification of the scale of recent strikes was not possible.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia are close allies, and the vote formalises what Cairo says is a defensive obligation to the kingdom. What Riyadh wants next — and how far Egyptian involvement will actually go — remains unclear. For now, officials in both capitals say only that the mission is about defending Saudi territory, leaving Egyptians and Saudis waiting to learn what the deployment will mean in practice.
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