Egypt pledges military support for Saudi Arabia against Houthis

Cairo has promised assistance as Riyadh seeks help following deadly attacks on airports and oil facilities.

Egypt has pledged to support Saudi Arabia in its escalating conflict with Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, the country’s top security body has announced.

Riyadh has been pressing allies for assistance following Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities in retaliation for its military operations in Yemen. The group has demanded that Saudi Arabia lift its blockade of Yemeni airports and ports, describing its approach as “an eye for an eye.”

Egypt’s National Defense Council, chaired by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, announced the decision on Sunday, a day after he sought parliamentary authorization to deploy troops and military equipment abroad. The council pledged “all possible forms of support” to help Saudi Arabia defend its security but did not specify what assistance Egypt would provide.

The renewed confrontation began in July when Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces struck Houthi-held Sanaa Airport, ending years of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce in 2022.

The Houthis retaliated with missile strikes, declared a maritime blockade, and seized territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including Mokhaa and islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Riyadh subsequently intensified its airstrikes and backed a counteroffensive by Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Houthi strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10-11 killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 300, according to the Saudi authorities. Last week, Saudi-led forces struck oil storage facilities in Sanaa.

An airstrike on a house in Yemen’s northern Saada province killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, and wounded 19 on Sunday, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said. It blamed Saudi Arabia, which did not immediately comment. Across the border, the Saudi authorities said a Houthi projectile wounded six people in a residential area of Najran province.

The Houthis’ chief negotiator, Mohamed Abdulsalam, blamed Riyadh for the escalation and accused it of obstructing mediation efforts. He said Oman proposed a five-day truce to facilitate talks and that the rebels agreed to halt attacks if Saudi Arabia meets unspecified humanitarian demands.

A Saudi diplomat offered a conflicting account last week, saying the kingdom proposed talks in Oman in July to resolve their differences but that the Houthis refused to take part.