Egypt authorizes defensive military support for Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

Parliament backs defensive support

Egypt's parliament on Monday, 26 October, authorized President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to provide Saudi Arabia with military support as the kingdom exchanges strikes with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Egyptian state media reported. The Houthis have hit Saudi airports and oil sites, and the chamber did not publish a breakdown of its closed-door vote. The vote had been scheduled for the previous week but was delayed after two days of deliberations, reflecting unease among Egyptians about being drawn into Yemen's long-running war. A regional official briefed on the matter said Egypt would send air defense systems and aircraft to help intercept missiles and drones aimed at Saudi territory, with no ground troops entering Yemen.

What Egypt has committed

The parliament's statement framed the mandate as protecting the kingdom's territory, sovereignty and holy sites from external aggression. El-Sisi has said Egypt will take any measure needed to protect Saudi Arabia, while stressing that he was speaking only about defense. Egypt's National Defense Council, which he chaired, earlier this month pledged all necessary and possible forms of support and said Cairo would step up diplomatic efforts toward a settlement. Neither Riyadh nor Cairo has publicly confirmed a Saudi request for Egyptian assistance, and the kingdom has not commented on the parliament's decision. President Donald Trump turned down Saudi appeals last month for US strikes on the Houthis, but according to one current and one former US official who spoke anonymously, Washington provides intelligence and refueling for Saudi warplanes flying defensive patrols. In the week of 19 October, the British government said it would send fighter jets to help defend Saudi cities and critical infrastructure.

Greece and Gulf security ties

Greece will keep its Patriot air defense battery in Saudi Arabia at the kingdom's request, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during talks on Sunday, 25 October. Greece has operated the battery since 2021 to guard energy facilities at Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. Mitsotakis condemned recent attacks on the kingdom, stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and warned that limits on shipping would set a dangerous precedent. The leaders also discussed the East to Med Data Corridor, a planned data link between Asia and Europe that would run via Saudi Arabia and Greece, along with cooperation in energy and defense. Earlier in the same week, Mitsotakis hosted Abu Dhabi's crown prince in Athens, where the two countries prepared agreements worth up to 12 billion euros ($14 billion).

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi seek to repair ties

Saudi Arabia is also trying to mend relations with the UAE, which the Financial Times describes as a sometime rival and key Gulf partner. Prince Khalid, the Saudi defence minister, met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on 18 October. On Monday, he travelled to Iran for talks, accompanied by senior representatives from Turkey and Pakistan. In September, UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed met Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, the first official meeting between the Gulf royal families since they fell out over Yemen in December 2025. Emirati academic Abdulkhaleq Abdulla explained the shared concern this way:

“Both countries understand how the Houthis... represent an imminent danger to the security not just of Saudi Arabia but to the Gulf states.”

Mohammed Baharoon, director-general of the Dubai think-tank b'huth, said the immediate aim is to contain the spillover, and he suggested the GCC Peninsula Shield, a joint regional military force, could be activated to defend Saudi Arabia rather than a return to the Yemen alliance.