Al-Sisi: Military support for Saudi Arabia is defensive and does not include attacking Yemen
Amman2 min read
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed that Egypt's military effort to support Saudi Arabia is limited to defending its territory and security, and does not extend to launching attacks on Yemen or outside the borders of Egypt or any brotherly country whose security and stability Cairo is keen to preserve, amid escalating confrontations between Yemeni government forces and the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
Al-Sisi said that Egypt does not seek to confront or attack any party, stressing that the Egyptian move comes within the framework of defending Saudi Arabia, coinciding with the Egyptian parliament discussing a presidential request for authorization to provide military support to the Kingdom if requested.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that "any Egyptian or foreign intervention in the ongoing war in Yemen will make resolving the crisis more difficult."
The Egyptian parliament had postponed on Monday the discussion of the authorization request until next week, at a time when Saudi Arabia is being subjected to repeated Houthi attacks.
Egyptian solidarity with Saudi Arabia
The Egyptian National Defense Council, headed by al-Sisi, announced on Sunday Egypt's full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, affirming that Saudi national security is linked to Egyptian and Arab national security.
The Council said, following a meeting held at the Etisalat Palace, that it decided to provide the necessary and possible forms of support to Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability and preserve its territory, alongside intensifying political and diplomatic efforts in coordination with regional and international parties to de-escalate and peacefully resolve crises in the region.
Al-Sisi had previously affirmed Egypt's full support for Gulf security and stability, and Cairo's readiness to take the measures requested by Saudi Arabia to defend its security and sovereignty, while simultaneously calling for an end to the ongoing war.
