Egypt(National Times)- Parliament authorised Egypt\u2019s military on Monday to provide support to help defend Saudi Arabia, parliamentarians said, and local media reported, a move that could push Cairo directly into the regional conflict that has expanded with intensified attacks by Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels on the Gulf kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had asked parliament last week to approve defending its Gulf Arab ally and the world\u2019s biggest oil exporter if Riyadh requests help against the Houthis, whose advances also threaten the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, a gateway to Egypt\u2019s Suez Canal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The House of Representatives \u201capproved authorising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia\u201d, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Egypt has frequently condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf countries but has not publicly engaged in direct combat or joined the Makkah mutual defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye that was signed in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said this month that Egyptian membership in the pact remains \u201cunder serious consideration\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Egypt, the Arab world\u2019s most populous state with one of the region\u2019s largest militaries, joined the Saudi-led coalition in an earlier phase of Yemen\u2019s war in March 2015 mainly as a naval partner, sending warships to secure Red Sea shipping lanes while pledging air support. It also deployed around 800 ground troops but played only a limited combat role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Egypt was involved in a costly military intervention in Yemen in the 1960s and has not undertaken a large-scale foreign ground deployment since the 1991 Gulf War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saudi Arabia is a major political and financial partner of Cairo, providing billions of dollars in aid, deposits at the central bank and energy supplies under Sisi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen\u2019s internationally recognised government and the Houthi militia, which controls the capital Sanaa, has escalated in recent weeks, becoming a volatile front in the US-Israeli war on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Houthis have attacked Riyadh\u2019s international airport and the state oil giant Saudi Aramco, disrupting flights and oil exports, while aid agencies have warned of worsening conditions in Yemen, already suffering one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FM Abdelatty and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad travelled to Riyadh on Wednesday to deliver a letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from Sisi, who said Egypt\u2019s support would be limited to defending Saudi territory and borders rather than attacking Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abdelatty said after that visit that Cairo advocates exploring \u201cevery opportunity\u201d to resolve the Yemen conflict diplomatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Saudi crown prince visited Sisi in Cairo on Sept 15 to discuss security and navigation in the Red Sea after the fighting in Yemen reignited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Egypt(National Times)- Parliament authorised Egypt\u2019s military on Monday to provide support to help defend Saudi Arabia, parliamentarians said, and local media reported, a move that could push Cairo directly into the regional conflict that has expanded with intensified attacks by Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels on the Gulf kingdom. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had asked parliament last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n