Sisi pledges defensive support

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said on Saturday, 17 October, that Egypt would take any measure needed to protect Saudi Arabia. He spoke at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy in the new capital, roughly 45 kilometres east of Cairo. Sisi presented the commitment as purely defensive and rejected any suggestion that Egypt intends to fight or attack another state. The pledge repeats the line he took on Thursday, 15 October, when he called Egypt and Saudi Arabia the heart of the Arab and Islamic nations and warned that harm to one would affect the other. He also said the national security of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is interconnected, and that Cairo will not accept threats to Saudi border security.

In the same speech he put the point in plain terms:

“I am not speaking in order for us to fight anyone or attack anyone. I am speaking only for defence.”

Request for parliamentary authority

Sisi asked parliament to hold an emergency session to authorise the measures, which would be carried out only if Riyadh makes a formal request. He stated that the action requires the approval of the Egyptian parliament, and he made clear that he wants lawmakers to act quickly. He said that:

“I know that this matter requires the approval of the Egyptian parliament”

He tied any possible action to the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to Al Jazeera's account of his remarks. He also thanked the Gulf states for backing Cairo after 2013, as AGI reported. Sisi's request therefore rests on a formal Saudi request, which has not yet been made in the reporting available.

Houthi attacks and Red Sea security

The request follows a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, carried out by the Iran-backed group based in Yemen. Attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh earlier in October 2026 killed 14 people and wounded more than 300. Other airports, including those in Dammam, Abha, Jazan and Najran, have also been targeted. Houthi strikes have mainly hit key infrastructure on the outskirts of Riyadh, although they appear to be moving closer to the city centre. In October, Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government launched a full military campaign to retake territory the Houthis seized. Days before a September 2026 meeting in Cairo between Sisi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Houthis had taken Yemen's Red Sea coast, which gives them considerable influence over Bab al-Mandeb, the southern entrance to the Suez Canal. After that meeting, the Egyptian presidency said Saudi and Gulf security forms part of Egypt's own national security. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye are bound by the Mecca Alliance for Defence, signed in August, and earlier this month the three governments agreed to activate deterrence measures under the pact.

Succession and the constitution

Sisi also addressed his political future during the ceremony. He said his current term ends in 2030, and he rejected any revision of the constitution that would let him stay in power. In his account, leaving the constitution intact is the right course and the question is closed. He said he would not leave the state until it is filled with capable people, and he urged military cadres to prepare to lead the country. He rejected claims that he is preparing a relative to succeed him.