Egyptian parliament approves Saudi military aid... Possibility of deployment in 35 years (comprehensive)

Egypt's parliament approved military aid to defend Saudi Arabia from attacks by Yemen's pro-Iran Houthi rebels on the 26th (local time).

Attention is being paid to whether Egypt, one of the largest military powers in the Middle East, will send ground troops overseas for the first time in 35 years since the 1991 Gulf War.

According to AFP, the Egyptian House of Representatives on this day passed a motion authorizing the president to take necessary measures to support Saudi Arabia at the request of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The House of Representatives reportedly held three closed meetings on the agenda and approved it after postponing the vote twice.

With this decision, the constitutional approval process necessary for dispatching troops overseas has been completed.

It is not yet known what type of support Egypt, which has the Arab world's largest military power, will provide.

The Egyptian army is equipped with hundreds of thousands of troops, fighter jets, and a complex air defense system. Military equipment has been introduced from several countries, including the United States, China, France, and Russia.

In relation to this, President El-Sisi stated on the 21st that his country's support is "for the defense of Saudi territory and does not include attacks on Yemen."

As Egypt has not dispatched ground troops in the past 30 years, some predict that this time too, it may end up supporting Saudi Arabia's defense through equipment support without dispatching troops.

There are concerns that military conflict could expand throughout the Middle East if Egypt sends ground troops or actively joins Saudi Arabia. For this reason, caution is being raised regarding the dispatch of troops due to concerns that a spark may fly even within Egypt.

Previously, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made a surprise visit to Egypt and met with President El-Sisi last month as the Houthis intensified their offensive targeting Saudi Arabia.

At that time, the two countries reaffirmed their strong alliance by discussing joint responses to security threats and strengthening economic and military cooperation.

Saudi Arabia is one of Egypt's strongest allies and has supported President El-Sisi's government since he ousted Islamist former President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, AFP reported.

AFP also pointed out that the Houthis' attack on Saudi Arabia has economic interests as it threatens revenue from the Suez Canal, Egypt's main source of foreign currency, and remittances from Egyptian workers working in Saudi Arabia.

However, Egypt is not a party to the 'Mecca Joint Defense Agreement' signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkuyye last August.

The Mecca Agreement, like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Charter, considers an armed attack against a member state as an attack on its own country and stipulates that the parties must use 'all necessary means' to eliminate threats to each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Senior officials from the three member countries of the Mecca Agreement and Iran met in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on this day.

Attendees reportedly discussed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, talks between the United States and Iran, and the issue of blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Previously, Iran also proposed mediation to end the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.