Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty stated this week that Egyptian forces have been present in Saudi Arabia for months, in the first official announcement of actually providing military support to the Kingdom.
Abdel-Ati’s statement reveals the presence of Egyptian forces in the Kingdom before the Egyptian Parliament issued a mandate to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to “take what is necessary to support Saudi Arabia in defending its lands against any external attacks,” which the House of Representatives voted on last October 26 at the request of the president.
Hours before Parliament voted during a joint press conference by the Egyptian Foreign Minister and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, a correspondent for the German News Agency asked Abdel-Aty a question, saying: “If the mission will be defensive only, why is there a need for parliamentary approval, which is only required for combat missions abroad according to the constitution? Is this an indication that Egyptian forces may end up participating in combat and not defending Saudi territory?”
At the time, the Egyptian Foreign Minister responded, saying: “Our position is very clear. We fully stand in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, and our support is for defensive goals. According to our current constitution, which was approved in January 2014, providing any kind of military support abroad, even sending equipment or forces for defensive goals, requires Parliament’s approval. This is the new constitution, and the president and government are committed to the constitution.”
He added: “So there were lengthy discussions in Parliament in the House of Representatives, and according to what I heard there were more than 500 members who asked to speak and comment in support or opposition or whatever, and therefore it was important to give more time to Parliament for the House of Representatives to conduct comprehensive discussions, and this is of course the right of Parliament members to express their views, and as I mentioned these are the rules of the democratic game, the government must adhere to the constitution, and since there will be military support for sister Saudi Arabia we must obtain the approval and support of Parliament, and this is very clear and we are committed to the rules Constitution.
In an interview with France 24 in its English version broadcast yesterday, Tuesday, Abdel Ati said: “We already have a military presence there at the request of our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The Egyptian Foreign Minister added: “Our presence there came a few months ago, in the wake of the attacks and assaults that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was subjected to during the period of escalation with Iran,” adding that Egypt is currently working to “strengthen” that presence.
In another interview with the Arabic version of France 24, broadcast last Monday, Abdel Ati said that Parliament’s mandate “is clear and means authorizing the president to take whatever measures he deems appropriate to support the Kingdom’s defense measures, because the Kingdom’s security is Egypt’s security.”
He added: "Egyptian forces have been in the Kingdom for several months in connection with the escalation that was taking place with Iran and the attacks that the Kingdom was subjected to."
He continued: "The president has powers to strengthen these defenses, but as I mentioned to strengthen the defense within the Kingdom, without crossing the border line between the Kingdom and Yemen, all support is for defensive purposes."
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries faced a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones at the beginning of the war with Iran. Although Iranian attacks have decreased, Riyadh still faces attacks by the Houthis, who continue to target multiple sites across the kingdom.
Last month, the Egyptian parliament voted to provide military support to help defend Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthis. This move has raised fears that the North African country will be drawn into this bloody regional conflict.
Following the vote, a prominent official in the Houthi movement, Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, stated that Egypt's decision amounts to a "declaration of war" against Yemen.
Abdel Aty confirmed on Tuesday that Egypt's presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is intended for "defensive purposes" only.
Egypt's decision comes at a time when Riyadh seeks to strengthen its defense cooperation with regional military powers, namely Türkiye, a member of NATO, and Pakistan, which possesses nuclear weapons. These three countries recently signed an agreement that includes provisions for collective defense modeled on the NATO model, and is referred to as the “Mecca Alliance.”
Last month, Pakistani army spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed to CNN the presence of Pakistani forces in Saudi Arabia, and indicated that his country’s forces have been present in the Kingdom for decades.
The Kingdom is also working to strengthen its defense relations with Syria. This month, the two countries signed a cooperation agreement between their ministries of defense.
In light of reports that Syria has also sent forces to support Saudi Arabia, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani stated on Monday that his country does not have any forces in Yemen, and has no plans to deploy forces there in the near future.
