Egyptian parliament approves military assistance to defend Saudi Arabia

Egypt’s parliament voted on Monday, October 26, to authorize President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia against attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In a statement, parliament said the approval empowered the president to take measures supporting the kingdom’s defense of its territory and sovereignty against external aggression.

The vote took place behind closed doors, and parliament released no breakdown of the result. Pro-government lawmakers hold an overwhelming majority in the chamber. The government offered no details about the proposed assistance, leading lawmakers to seek clarification on what Egypt would provide and how extensive its involvement would be.

A regional official briefed on the plans said Egypt would send aircraft and air defense systems to help intercept missiles and drones targeting Saudi Arabia. The official described the assistance as defensive and said it would not involve sending ground troops into Yemen. He spoke anonymously because he lacked authorization to discuss the matter with reporters.

Originally scheduled for the previous week, the vote was postponed following two days of deliberations amid increasing unease among Egyptians about involvement in Yemen’s prolonged conflict. With the discussions closed to the public, their course was not immediately clear. The opposition Egyptian Social Democratic Party said its 11 lawmakers would abstain, citing inadequate information about the mission’s aims, scale, duration, expense and risks to Egyptian personnel. It urged diplomatic efforts to avoid an indefinite military commitment.

Earlier in October, Egypt’s National Defense Council pledged support for Saudi security, stability, resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites. At that meeting, chaired by el-Sissi, the council also committed to expanding diplomatic efforts toward a settlement. The president has repeatedly characterized the planned assistance as defensive, saying earlier this month: “I’m not speaking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone. I’m speaking only for defense.” In comments the previous week, he also rejected suggestions that Egypt was preparing to attack Yemen.

Saudi Arabia is a major financial supporter of Egypt, supplying billions of dollars in aid and investment, particularly since el-Sissi took power following the 2013 overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader. Money sent home by Egyptians employed in Saudi Arabia also provides an important source of foreign currency.

The prospect of military involvement has revived memories of Egypt’s intervention in Yemen during the 1960s. That conflict began in 1962, when army commander Gen. Abdullah al-Sallal overthrew the newly crowned King Muhammad al-Badr and proclaimed a republic in North Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom supported royalist forces, while Egypt and the Soviet Union backed the republicans.

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser sent tens of thousands of soldiers to support al-Sallal, beginning a decadelong intervention. According to the state-run Al-Ahram daily, the campaign was considered a low point of Nasser’s presidency and widely viewed as a major contributor to Egypt’s defeat by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War because it strained the military and economy.

Egypt also supported the Saudi-led coalition against the rebels in 2015, sending naval vessels to the Red Sea off Yemen during the height of an earlier phase of the war. That deployment did not include ground troops.