Egypt weighs military support for Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

Egypt’s parliament is expected to vote next week on authorizing military assistance to Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthis if Saudi leaders request it, according to The Korea Times. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sought approval Saturday but has not announced a specific deployment.

The proposal ties Egypt’s regional security commitments to its financial dependence on Gulf partners and its interest in protecting Red Sea shipping. Parliamentary approval would bring Egypt closer to military involvement without settling what forces it would send.

Sisi’s request would allow Egypt’s armed forces to help defend Saudi Arabia if assistance is sought, The Korea Times reported. Neither his speech nor subsequent statements identified the forces that could take part.

Gulf countries have supplied Egypt with aid, investments and central bank deposits totaling tens of billions of dollars since Mohamed Morsi’s overthrow in 2013, according to the report. Central bank data cited by the newspaper show a $5.3 billion Saudi deposit coming due this month, along with $267 million in interest.

Shipping security is another concern. Egypt collects billions of dollars each year in Suez Canal transit fees, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed security in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait during a visit to Egypt last month, the newspaper reported. A drone strike hit two gas vessels at Damietta in July.

Analysts cited by The Korea Times considered air defense, air force and naval assistance more likely than an Egyptian ground deployment in Yemen. Samir Ragheb, a retired Egyptian military officer who heads the Arab Foundation for Development and Strategic Studies, linked the need for air defenses and aircraft to missile and drone threats.

Egypt supplied aircraft and naval forces for the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015. But it has not sent ground forces abroad on a large scale since the 1991 Gulf War, according to The Korea Times.

The next step is the anticipated parliamentary vote. Any assistance would remain conditional on a Saudi request, with the scope of Egypt’s possible role still unspecified.