Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Amy Abbott)

Egypt’s parliament on October 26 authorized President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi to provide military support to Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah.

The authorization, approved by a two-thirds majority following closed-door deliberations, allows Sisi to take necessary measures in coordination with Riyadh to defend Saudi territory, sovereignty and holy sites against external aggression.

A regional official briefed on the plans told The Associated Press that Egypt would provide air defense systems and warplanes to help intercept missiles and drones targeting Saudi Arabia. The official said the support would not include deploying ground troops to Yemen.

Sisi has repeatedly stressed that Cairo’s role would be strictly defensive, seeking to reassure Egyptians concerned that the country could become entangled in another regional war.

“I’m not speaking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone. I’m speaking only for defense,” Sisi said earlier this month.

He also reiterated that Egypt’s military effort would focus on protecting Saudi territory and borders rather than conducting attacks on Yemen.

The limited scope of the proposed mission means Egypt’s decision is unlikely to significantly change the military balance inside Yemen.

Egyptian air defense systems and warplanes could help Riyadh withstand further missile and drone attacks, but the announced approach does not involve an Egyptian ground campaign or direct strikes against Houthi positions across the border in Yemen.

Egypt’s involvement in the war has been cautious before. Cairo joined the Saudi-led military intervention in 2015, initially contributing naval and air forces to the campaign against the Houthis. However, it did not deploy ground troops to Yemen, and its contribution remained limited, with maritime security around the Red Sea and the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait a central concern.

Egypt renewed its participation in the coalition during the following year but never became a major ground-combat participant in the conflict.

The latest authorization therefore provides Riyadh with the prospect of additional defensive military support without signaling a large-scale Egyptian campaign inside Yemen.

Cairo has also continued to call for a diplomatic settlement, reflecting its interest in protecting its Gulf partnerships and the maritime routes linking the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.

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File image.

Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced on October 26 that they struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile and Saudi Arabia’s East-West crude oil pipeline with drones, while announcing separate missile attacks on military positions and weapons depots in Aden and Lahij.

In a statement, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the movement’s military spokesman, said the airport had been targeted with a ballistic missile.

“Our armed forces, with God’s grace, successfully targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi enemy’s capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile, and the hit was accurate,” Saree said.

He added that the group had “carried out an operation targeting crude oil pumping stations on the East-West line with several drones,” saying the strikes had also hit their targets.

The Saudi-led coalition, from its part, said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki announced the interception after Saudi authorities issued an aerial-threat alert for the capital. Explosions had been heard in Riyadh a day earlier amid similar warnings.

In a second statement, Saree announced two missile attacks against Saudi-backed military positions in southern Yemen, identifying the targets as troop concentrations and weapons depots in the Salah al-Din area of Aden and the al-Wahat area of Lahij.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces, with God Almighty’s help, carried out two special military operations targeting the Saudi enemy’s troop concentrations and weapons depots in the Salah al-Din area of Aden governorate and the al-Wahat area of Lahij governorate using several ballistic missiles,” Saree said.

He claimed the attacks caused “dozens of dead and wounded” and destroyed and burned military vehicles and weapons depots. Saree also said the targeted facilities were supervised by Saudi officer Badr al-Harbi.

Reports of explosions emerged from the same general areas. Al Jazeera reported that a correspondent heard an explosion in Salah al-Din, west of Aden, and that loud blasts were heard between Aden and Lahij.

Yemen’s Information Ministry separately said two missiles had fallen near displaced-person camps in Salah al-Din, but did not provide casualty figures or details of damage.

The Houthis continue to escalate strikes against Saudi Arabia and its allies, and despite the kingdom’s recent efforts to secure defensive support, it remains vulnerable to the group’s missiles and drones. This situation will not likely change any time soon as the Houthis appear to have amassed enough capabilities for a prolonged conflict.

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