Egypt's Parliament Authorizes Sisi to Send Military Support to Saudi Arabia Against Houthi Attacks

Since Houthi missiles and drones began hitting Saudi airports on Oct. 5, the kingdom has moved from absorbing strikes to collecting foreign help. On Monday, Oct. 26, Egypt's parliament formally joined that list.

The chamber voted to authorize President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to take "necessary measures" to back Saudi Arabia in defending its territory and sovereignty against external "aggression," the parliament said in a statement. The vote was closed-door. No tally was released.

The outcome was never really in doubt. The chamber is overwhelmingly dominated by pro-government lawmakers.

What Egypt will actually send

The government has not said. That silence prompted lawmakers to question the nature and extent of the assistance.

A regional official briefed on the matter, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, said Egypt will deploy air defense systems and aircraft to help repel missiles and drones fired at the kingdom. The official said the support is defensive and will include no ground troops in Yemen. That description has not been confirmed on the record by Cairo.

The vote itself was delayed. It had been scheduled for last week and was pushed back after two days of deliberations, amid growing wariness among Egyptians about being pulled into Yemen's long-running conflict.

The road to the vote

Egypt's National Defense Council, chaired by Sissi, pledged earlier this month to provide Saudi Arabia "all necessary and possible forms of support" to protect its security, resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites. The council also said Egypt would step up diplomatic efforts toward a settlement.

On Oct. 17, Sissi said Egypt would act after receiving guidance from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who visited Cairo on Sept. 15.

Egyptian lawmaker Mostafa Bakry framed the stakes in terms of Egypt's own security. "Saudi Arabia, for us, is a part of Egyptian national security, and any threat to its security and stability is a threat to us," he wrote on X on Oct. 18.

Cairo is also talking to both sides. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed de-escalation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Oct. 18. The next day he spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about de-escalation and "respecting Gulf security."

Why Cairo hesitated

Yemen is a painful memory in Egypt. President Gamal Abdel Nasser sent troops into the 1962-1970 civil war on the republican side against Saudi-backed royalists. More than 20,000 Egyptian soldiers died. Some have called it "Egypt's Vietnam," and some historians argue it contributed to the 1967 defeat by Israel.

The Houthis have their own message for anyone who steps in. Official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti warned, in remarks to AFP about possible U.S. involvement, that intervention would bring a "swift and painful response" against American interests across the region. The group says its attacks on Saudi Arabia respond to Riyadh's support for Yemeni government forces.

The damage in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation says Houthi attacks on Saudi airports between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11 killed at least 20 people and injured 356. The deadliest hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Oct. 10. Accounts of the toll differ: one outlet reports at least 12 dead, including an American citizen, while another reports at least 13. Both put the wounded at more than 300.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project found Houthi strikes and attempted strikes on the kingdom more than doubled in a single week this month. Airports in Riyadh, Jizan, Najran, Dammam and Abha have been targeted since Oct. 5. Energy infrastructure has also been hit.

The Saudi-led coalition's spokesman, Col. Turki Al-Maliki, said on Oct. 9 the coalition was working to dismantle the Houthi ballistic missile network.

The gap is not for lack of spending. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates Riyadh spent $83.2 billion on defense last year, eighth-highest in the world. Jason Campbell of the Middle East Institute told Fox News Digital that reinforcements may help shield cities but do little to eliminate the launchers in Yemen.

Who else is moving

Britain has announced it will send Typhoon fighters to defend Saudi cities and critical infrastructure. Israel has offered to help. Riyadh has asked Washington for more interceptors, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. cannot meet every request because every country wants them and America has its own needs.

President Donald Trump said Sunday the U.S. may join Saudi strikes on the Houthis: "We may. We're gonna look at it." In a Truth Social post, he said the Houthis are acting "probably at the behest of Iran" and recalled last year's U.S. bombing campaign, which cost more than $1 billion and ended with the group agreeing to stop attacking American ships. No decision has been announced.

Turkey is further behind. Under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed in August by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, an attack on one is treated as an attack on all. At an Oct. 5 emergency meeting in Riyadh, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to take "necessary measures" to deploy forces rapidly. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said both countries were playing a "supporting role" in areas such as reconnaissance.

An unnamed AKP lawmaker told Reuters that Turkey is seeking a parliamentary mandate for a purely defensive deployment, starting with missile and drone defense experts. Turkey's parliament never ratified the pact and has begun that process. The authorization bill is expected to be taken up after Speaker Numan Kurtulmus returns from Kyrgyzstan.

Egypt now has its legal cover. What it will send, when, and whether the "no ground troops" line holds are questions Cairo has yet to answer on the record.