Sisi seeks parliament's backing to defend Saudi Arabia if asked
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has asked Egypt's parliament to hold an emergency session authorising him to defend Saudi Arabia "if asked", after declaring it "inconceivable" that the kingdom's security would be allowed to be harmed.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has asked parliament to hold an emergency session so it can authorise him to defend Saudi Arabia “if asked”, amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom, Reuters reports.
“It is inconceivable that we would allow Saudi Arabia, its security or stability to be harmed,” Sisi said on Saturday at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy. “I know this requires the approval of the Egyptian parliament, and I ask that an emergency session be held so that it can give us that authorisation if we are asked.”
He said Egypt was not seeking to attack anyone but was prepared to act in defence, following guidance from Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who visited Sisi on September 15 after fighting in Yemen reignited.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have in recent days attacked Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco; Al Bawaba reports the Saudi-led coalition says the airport was targeted 20 times this month, killing 17 people and injuring more than 300.
Shortly after Sisi spoke, parliament announced a plenary session at 1 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Sunday, though it did not disclose the agenda. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are close strategic and economic partners: Riyadh and other Gulf states gave Cairo billions of dollars in aid, deposits and investments after the 2013 ouster of Mohamed Morsi, and Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015.
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