What help can Egypt offer Saudi Arabia in the war against the Houthis?

Analysts say that any move from Egypt will remain ‘strictly defensive’, as the conflict in Yemen intensifies. Save Share Egypt’s parliament is convening on Sunday after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi requested anemergency sessionto approve defensive military aid to Saudi Arabia, if Riyadh asks for support in its war with Yemen’s Houthis. The request comes as the Iran-backed armed group continues attacks on Saudi Arabia, including the capital, Riyadh, and its airports and oil facilities. El-Sisi declared that Egypt will “carry out any measure to protect” Saudi Arabia, in a speech on Saturday, but said that he “hopes” the parliament will give him authorisation to proceed. On Sunday, Egyptsaidit would provide “all necessary and possible support to Saudi Arabia to defend its safety and stability”. The National Defence Council, chaired by President el-Sisi, said it “stands fully with” Saudi Arabia to defend its resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites. But what would Egyptian assistance look like? And what capacity does it have to “protect” Saudi Arabia in its war with the Houthis? Here is what we know. Saudi Arabia has long been a strategic and economic partner of Egypt, and el-Sisi said in astatementlast month that Saudi security is “integral” to Egypt’s security. Political analyst and Gulf studies expert Thomas Bonnie James told Al Jazeera that the Houthi security threat to the kingdom is one of the “converging” pressures that have led to this decision. The other one, is economics. “Houthi pressure on [Bab] al-Mandeb threatens theSuez Canal, which Egypt’s foreign minister says has lost about $11bn since the attacks began in 2023,” he said, referring to Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked ships passing through the narrow strait, carried out in solidarity with Gaza. James suggested that the decision is also important to Cairo, because “millions of Egyptians live and work in Saudi Arabia, which is Egypt’s largest single source of remittances. An Egyptian resident was killed, and others were injured in the attacks on Riyadh’s airport.” He also said that Egypt does not want to be seen as the regional ally that “stood aside while others defended the kingdom,” as Turkiye and Pakistan have made their own pledges afteractivatingtheMecca defence pactsigned in August amid the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East. Hostilities in Yemen continue to escalate. Two air raids by the Saudi-led coalition hit Hodeidah in the southwest on Sunday....