Egypt's Defense Council Pledges 'All Necessary' Support to Saudi Arabia, but the Troop Vote Slips Past Sunday

Since President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi asked parliament on Saturday, Oct. 17, to authorize help for Saudi Arabia against the Houthis, Egypt's top security body has met, pledged support, and left the actual troop question unsettled.

The National Defense Council, chaired by Sisi at Al Ittihadiya Palace, said Sunday that Egypt "will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security and stability, protect its resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites." The presidency tied the kingdom's security to Egypt's own and cited the "escalating unacceptable attacks" on Saudi Arabia.

The statement did not mention troops.

Who said what about troops

The troop detail came from Mostafa Bakry, an MP and TV host close to the state. He said on X that the council had approved sending forces to Saudi Arabia on "a defensive mission." He added that "for us, Saudi Arabia is part of Egypt's own national security."

No official Egyptian document in hand specifies a number, a unit or a destination. Pro-Houthi and regional accounts have gone further, claiming Egyptian transport aircraft have already landed in the kingdom. None of those claims has been confirmed by Cairo or Riyadh.

Sisi said Saturday that Egypt would act only if Riyadh asks. "We do not want to fight or attack anyone. We will only defend Saudi Arabia," he told graduates at the Egyptian Military Academy. The presidency has not said whether Saudi Arabia has made such a request.

The parliamentary hurdle

Under Article 152 of Egypt's constitution, the president cannot send the army on a combat mission abroad without consulting the Defense Council and winning two-thirds of parliament. House rules require the vote to be held in an urgent closed session.

A vote had been expected Sunday. Two lawmakers said discussions would continue Monday, Oct. 19. The National reported the session was extended by two days. Either way, no vote has been announced as of Sunday night.

Pro-Sisi legislators hold a majority and have backed his earlier policies, so approval is widely expected.

Attending the council meeting were Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Parliament Speaker Hisham Badawy, Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Ashraf Zaher and the intelligence chiefs.

Houthi warning and Egypt's own exposure

The Houthis have answered in advance. Yahya Al Raei, speaker of the Houthi-run parliament in Sanaa, wrote to Badawy on Saturday. He said the group "categorically" rejects Egypt being dragged into the same trench as the Saudi side, and that intervention "would pose a grave danger to its national security." That body is not recognized internationally.

Egypt has its own stake. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said last month that the Suez Canal has lost about $11 billion in revenue since the Houthis began attacking commercial vessels in 2023.

Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in 2015, but its role has largely been securing Red Sea shipping routes rather than frontline combat. It has also not joined the Makkah defense pact that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed in August. Cairo says it is studying the agreement.

An unclaimed drone attack hit Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta in July. Egypt has blamed no party but said it was taking measures to protect national security.

Fighting on the ground

The Houthis claimed Sunday to have shot down a Saudi attack helicopter off Najran and released footage. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the gunship crashed near Najran because of a technical malfunction, killing its two-member crew. The two accounts conflict, and no independent finding on the cause has been released.

Separately, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said an airstrike hit a house in Sahar district in Saada province, killing at least nine people, including five children and two women, and wounding 19. Spokesman Anees al-Asbahi blamed Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government had not commented.

Iran, for its part, is pushing diplomacy. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Baghdad on Saturday that Tehran backs an "inclusive and comprehensive political process" and renewed Iran's offer to mediate. Abdelatty also spoke by phone Sunday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan about de-escalation.

The war is no longer confined to Yemen. The fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis has become another front in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in late February. The Houthis have attacked Riyadh's international airport and Saudi Aramco in recent days, and their advances threaten the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route.

The next concrete step is the closed-door vote in Cairo, expected Monday or later this week. Its text, and whether it names troops, will show what Egypt has actually committed to.