Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the President of Egypt, stated that this country's military support for Saudi Arabia will be limited to defending the territory and borders of this country and will not include an attack on Yemen. These statements were made as Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Meeting of Egyptian and Saudi Officials
El-Sisi's statements came as Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, and Hassan Rashad, the head of Egypt's intelligence agency, met in Riyadh with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The Egyptian Foreign Minister delivered a written message from el-Sisi to King Salman, and the two sides discussed bilateral relations and regional developments.
Any military support from Egypt to Saudi Arabia could lead to a significant escalation in the broader Middle Eastern conflicts, while these conflicts pose a threat to global energy supply and have raised oil prices since the U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran in February.
Egypt's Commitment to Defend Arab Countries
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also emphasized that Egypt is ready to defend the territory of any Arab country upon request, but the military efforts of this country will not extend beyond Egyptian territories or those countries whose security and stability it is currently protecting.
On Monday, the Egyptian parliament postponed voting to authorize the country's armed forces to support Saudi Arabia until October 26. Clashes between the Saudi coalition, which supports Yemen's legitimate government, and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen, have intensified in recent weeks and opened a new front in the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia are recognized as close strategic and economic partners. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, provided billions of dollars in aid, bank deposits, and investments to Egypt after the overthrow of the Islamic regime of Mohamed Morsi in 2013. El-Sisi assumed the presidency a year later.
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