Egypt's parliament has authorised President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take steps to help defend Saudi Arabia, in a decision taken on Monday as Houthi attacks on the kingdom intensified. Parliamentarians and local media reported the move, which could draw Cairo more directly into a regional conflict that has widened sharply in recent weeks.

A defensive role, with limits stated

The authorisation was backed by at least two-thirds of the chamber, according to an official parliamentary statement, although the vote was held in closed session and no tally was published. No formal Saudi request for Egyptian troops has been announced. A senior parliamentary figure told Reuters that any deployment would take place in coordination with Riyadh and only at Saudi Arabia's request. Cairo has stressed that the role would be defensive: the Senate speaker described Egypt as a shield that protects rather than a sword that attacks, saying support would cover Saudi territory, borders, sovereignty and holy sites, and would not extend to an attack on Yemen.

Why the decision matters now

The context is both strategic and economic. Houthi advances threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and to Egypt's Suez Canal, while Saudi Arabia is a major political and financial partner for Cairo, providing aid, central bank deposits and energy supplies. Egypt has condemned attacks on Gulf states before but has not publicly fought directly in this phase, and it has not joined the Mecca mutual defence pact signed in August. Opposition groups objected: one coalition urged mediation instead of involvement, while another party said its lawmakers would abstain, citing a lack of detail on aims, duration and cost. What form, if any, Egyptian support will actually take therefore remains unanswered.

Source: Reuters via Devdiscourse