Egypt's parliament approves military support for Saudi Arabia

CAIRO — Egypt's House of Representatives on Monday authorised President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support and defend Saudi Arabia, according to a parliamentary statement cited by Arab News.

The statement said the authorisation passed by a two-thirds majority. It said the measures would follow coordination between the two countries and aim to defend Saudi territory, sovereignty and holy sites "against any external aggression."

The decision followed a resolution taken by Egypt's National Defense Council at a meeting on Oct. 18, the statement added, according to Arab News.

What the vote covers

Under Article 152 of the Constitution and Article 130 of the House's internal regulations, a declaration of war or a decision to send Egyptian forces on combat missions abroad needs two-thirds approval. Arab News reported this requirement. BBC Türkçe said the Constitution also requires consultation with the National Defense Council.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Egypt's position was clear and that it supported Saudi Arabia for defensive purposes, according to Arab News. He said the vote was held in line with the Constitution.

It was not immediately clear what form Egyptian support would take, The New Arab reported. It described Egypt's military as the largest in the Arab world, with hundreds of thousands of active personnel, fighter jets and air defences bought from several countries.

Anadolu Agency said the approval followed closed-door discussions on military assistance, including possible troop deployment. The summary available did not give further detail.

Two Telegram posts reported the vote shortly before the longer reports appeared. In a post, Al Jazeera Arabic said parliament approved the president's request to take defensive measures to support Saudi Arabia. Al Arabiya said in its own post that parliament approved, by a two-thirds majority, authorising Sisi to strengthen Saudi defences. Both posts are unverified social media content. Arab News and other outlets reported the same outcome.

How the vote unfolded

The New Arab said parliament held three rare secret meetings on the issue and postponed the vote twice. It described the chamber as packed with Sisi supporters.

BBC Türkçe, citing the news site Youm7, said the decision came in a third closed session called to vote on Sisi's request. Two earlier meetings took place on Oct. 18 and 19. After those talks, a large majority of political parties and parliamentary coalitions backed granting the authority, according to the same report.

The vote was held by roll call, with members' names read out one by one, BBC Türkçe reported, again citing Youm7.

Sisi asked parliament last week to authorise military support to Saudi Arabia "if requested," according to The New Arab.

Mohamed El-Orabi, a former Egyptian foreign minister, told Arab News the approval had been expected. "Egypt's position is clear: it will take the necessary measures to defend the Kingdom," he said. He added that Cairo would keep encouraging political efforts to resolve the wider regional crisis.

Salah Halima, a former assistant foreign minister, told Arab News that Saudi security was closely linked to Egypt's national security. He described the Houthi attacks on the kingdom as a violation of international law.

Limits set by Sisi

Sisi said on Wednesday that Egyptian support would be to defend Saudi territory and would not include an attack on Yemen, The New Arab reported.

"We are talking about defending the land and borders of the kingdom." — Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egyptian president

He added that the top priority was a diplomatic solution, according to the same report.

The New Arab said Abdelatty had since held a series of diplomatic contacts. It said he consulted the group known as R4, which includes members of the Mecca defence pact: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. Egypt has not joined that pact. On Monday, Abdelatty said he was "talking daily with the Iranians" to push for regional de-escalation, according to the outlet.

Background

Arab News said the vote came after an escalation this month in deadly Houthi attacks from Yemen on civilian sites in Saudi Arabia, including airports. The Houthis' response was not included in the material reviewed.

Sisi chaired the National Defense Council meeting on Oct. 18. Presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy said the council reviewed regional developments, in particular the Houthi attacks, which it called unacceptable, according to Arab News. The council pledged all necessary and possible support to Saudi Arabia to protect its security, resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites.

BBC Türkçe said Egypt has often condemned attacks by Iran and Iran-backed groups on Gulf states but has not entered direct fighting. The Mecca pact was signed in August. Reuters reported in October that Abdelatty said Egypt was still giving serious consideration to joining it, according to BBC Türkçe.

Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in March 2015, BBC Türkçe said. It sent warships to secure Red Sea shipping lanes and pledged air support. It also sent about 800 ground troops, who played a limited role in the fighting, according to the same report.

BBC Türkçe also noted that Egypt carried out a costly military intervention in Yemen in the 1960s. It has not deployed a large ground force abroad since the 1991 Gulf War, the outlet said.