Egypt is considering defensive military support for Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks intensify, but Cairo is trying to avoid being drawn into direct combat in Yemen. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said any mission would protect Saudi territory and borders rather than attack the Houthis, while Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has urged diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.
The debate has revived memories of Egypt’s intervention in North Yemen after a 1962 revolution overthrew Zaidi Imam Mohammad al-Badr. Egyptian forces backed republican fighters against Saudi-supported royalists in a campaign that became a brutal mountain war. Thousands of Egyptian soldiers were killed, and some observers later linked the losses to the military’s lack of readiness during Egypt’s 1967 war with Israel. Egypt eventually withdrew, while the republican side emerged victorious.
The immediate crisis has followed a Saudi-backed counteroffensive by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The Houthis have attacked Saudi airports and oil infrastructure with missiles and drones, and a strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh earlier this month killed 13 people, including one Egyptian. The National Defence Council said on October 18 that Egypt would provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible support to defend its security, resources, territory and Islamic holy sites.
Egypt’s parliament is scheduled to vote on October 26 after postponing the debate to allow further deliberation. Approval would be needed for Egyptian forces or military equipment to be deployed abroad, but the government has not specified what assistance Riyadh might request. Possible defensive roles include air-defense operations, protection of sensitive sites, naval support for Red Sea shipping or security duties near the Saudi-Yemeni border.
Even a limited mission could expose Egyptian personnel to Houthi retaliation or attacks linked to Iran. Cairo is also vulnerable to disruption of Red Sea shipping because reduced traffic would cut revenue from the Suez Canal; el-Sisi has said regional instability has already cost Egypt $20 billion in potential revenue. Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition in 2015 mainly as a naval partner and deployed about 800 ground troops, but it avoided a major combat role.
The proposal has faced domestic and regional caution. An Egyptian parliamentary bloc said it would abstain unless lawmakers received clearer information about the mission’s objectives, duration, cost and safeguards for troops. Houthi representatives have warned that Egyptian involvement would threaten Egypt’s own security. For Cairo, the choice is therefore between supporting a major ally under attack and risking a repeat of the political, military and economic costs associated with Yemen.