Egypt's top security body said Sunday it has agreed to support close ally Saudi Arabia in the major escalation of fighting between the kingdom and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which has marked the latest front in the Iran war.
Saudi Arabia has been pressing allies for military assistance. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked airports and oil infrastructure across the kingdom with drones and missiles that can change direction during flight, posing a challenge to interceptors.
At least 19 people have been killed, thousands of flights have been affected and global markets have been rattled.
Also on Sunday, the Saudi defense minister was meeting with the United Arab Emirates president about ways to strengthen cooperation, according to the UAE’s news agency WAM.
Tense relations in the recent past
The countries have had tense relations in the recent past as they backed different factions in the Yemeni coalition fighting the rebels.
The Egyptian announcement on military assistance came a month after a visit by the Saudi crown prince.
The National Defense Council decided to provide all possible forms of support to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security
Chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the National Defense Council decided to provide “all possible forms of support” to enable Saudi Arabia to defend its security, according to a presidential statement.
It didn’t provide details. El-Sissi on Saturday called for parliament to grant him the authorization to deploy troops and military equipment abroad.
Later Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke by phone about “the latest regional developments.”
On Sunday, the Sunni Muslim world’s foremost religious institution, Al-Azhar in Egypt, called for the formation of an “urgent mediation committee” to end conflicts across the Arab region.
