Sisi says Egyptian military support for Saudi Arabia would exclude attacks on Yemen
Egypt’s presidency says military backing for Saudi Arabia would be confined to defending its territory and borders, as Houthi attacks intensify.
Cairo, Egypt. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said any Egyptian military assistance to Saudi Arabia would cover only the defence of Saudi territory and borders, excluding attacks on Yemen, according to a presidency statement on Wednesday. His remarks came amid intensifying attacks against the kingdom by the Iran-allied Houthis.
Limits on military support
Sisi said Egypt would also protect another Arab country’s territory upon request. He added that Egyptian military operations would remain within Egypt or the territory of an Arab state whose stability and security Cairo sought to safeguard.
Lawmakers said Egypt’s parliament on Monday postponed a vote until October 26 on whether to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia if the kingdom requested it.
Egyptian officials meet Saudi crown prince
Saudi state news agency SPA reported that Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and intelligence chief Hassan Rashad met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh as Sisi made his comments.
According to SPA, Abdelatty handed over a written message from Sisi addressed to King Salman, while discussions covered relations between the countries and developments across the region.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said the letter focused on reinforcing bilateral relations and reaffirmed Egypt’s complete solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for the kingdom.
Wider conflict and longstanding ties
Egyptian military backing could substantially escalate the wider Middle East conflict. The war has endangered global energy supplies and driven oil prices upward since February, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
In recent weeks, fighting has intensified between the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthis. The movement controls Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, along with much of the country’s north. The escalation has created an additional front in the war being waged by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia maintain close economic and strategic relations. Following the military’s overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013, Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf countries, among them the United Arab Emirates, supplied Egypt with billions of dollars through aid, deposits at its central bank and investments. Sisi assumed the presidency the following year.
A regional military power, Egypt previously participated in the Saudi-led coalition’s 2015 intervention in Yemen to support the government against the Houthis. Its combat involvement in the civil war was limited.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →