Egypt’s parliament has authorized President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to deploy military support to Saudi Arabia, responding to intensified Houthi attacks on Gulf infrastructure. Cairo has emphasized that any potential deployment will be strictly defensive, aimed at securing Saudi territory and borders rather than launching strikes inside Yemen.
Lawmakers in Cairo approved the mandate during a closed-door plenary session, granting the executive branch authority to take necessary measures should Riyadh request assistance.
The parliamentary vote follows weeks of escalating drone and missile strikes launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement against Saudi facilities, including Riyadh’s international airport and installations belonging to the state oil company Saudi Aramco.
Egypt Approves Defense Mandate for Saudi Arabia
Egypt’s House of Representatives convened to review the executive request after President el-Sisi called for parliamentary backing to reinforce the kingdom’s security.
Three major pro-government parties backed the proposed deployment of Egyptian troops on a defensive mission. They held a combined 392 of the 596 seats in parliament, which is just six short of the 398 votes needed under Article 152 of the Egyptian constitution to approve the deployment.
The chamber’s total membership consists of 568 elected members and 28 appointed by the president, with the appointed members counting toward the required two-thirds total calculated on full membership.
A parliamentary statement shared with Reuters confirmed that the House, chaired by Speaker Hisham Badawi, approved authorizing el-Sisi to undertake necessary measures.
The chamber met in the New Administrative Capital, located about 45 kilometers east of Cairo.
Preceding the parliamentary vote, Egypt’s National Defense Council met on October 18 in a session chaired by el-Sisi and attended by the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, and senior military officials to back the initiative and pledge all necessary support.
🔴 BREAKING: Egypt’s parliament has approved a measure authorizing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to send defensive reinforcements to Saudi Arabia if requested by the Kingdom, Al Arabiya’s correspondent reports. pic.twitter.com/07B8smv0Oi
Ahead of the vote, the country’s highest security body, the National Defense Council, chaired by el-Sisi, pledged to provide all necessary support to help the kingdom defend its borders.
Lawmaker Reda Abdulsalam described a specific mission outline indicating that Egyptian forces would defend vital facilities, airports, and water and electricity plants without sending soldiers into Yemen.
Neither the presidency nor the National Defence Council put those limits in writing.
For us, Saudi Arabia is an integral part of Egypt’s own national security, and any threat to its security and stability is also a threat to us.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt
Economic Stakes Shape Regional Decisions
Cairo’s willingness to assist Riyadh is underpinned by deep economic ties and shared vulnerability in regional trade routes.
Egypt relies heavily on Gulf financial support, including a $5.3 billion deposit at the central bank that fell due during the current month.
At the same time, Houthi attacks near the Bab al-Mandeb strait have disrupted maritime traffic and reduced vital revenue for the Suez Canal.
Foreign investors pulled $17 billion out of Egyptian Treasury debt over a seven-week period, knocking as much as 17% off the pound and pushing inflation above 15%.
The wider regional conflict has already exacted a heavy toll on Cairo’s balance sheet.
Disrupted energy supplies forced Egypt to increase purchases of liquefied natural gas just as global prices surged.
Despite these pressures, Egyptian diplomacy has attempted to maintain channels with multiple regional actors.
History Casts Shadow on Military Plans
The prospect of Egyptian military involvement in the Arabian Peninsula carries heavy historical weight.
Commentators and Houthi officials have frequently invoked Egypt’s military campaign in Yemen during the 1960s.
Warning against repeating past entanglements, the Houthi movement cautioned Cairo against direct military participation.
Ahmad Dahshan of the Center of Arabic Eurasian Studies noted that any deployment would likely be limited to protecting Saudi territory, pointing directly to the history that Egyptian troops were killed there.
We do not expect Egypt to become involved in aggression against Yemen. Egypt is bigger than that.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, Houthi political bureau member
In response to such warnings, Egyptian leadership has repeatedly drawn a firm line regarding the scope of any potential operations.
President el-Sisi stated that any actions would remain strictly confined to protecting Saudi land and borders, explicitly ruling out offensive operations targeting Yemen itself.
Egypt previously contributed naval and aerial assets to the Saudi-led coalition in 2015, deploying warships to secure Red Sea shipping lanes while pledging air support and deploying around 800 ground troops, but has avoided large-scale foreign ground deployments since the 1991 Gulf War.