The Egyptian Presidency announced on Sunday (October 18, 2026), in a statement that the National Defense Council decided during a meeting chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi “to provide all necessary and possible forms of support to the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, and to preserve its capabilities, the integrity of its lands, and the Islamic holy sites.” It was also stated in a statement by the official spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency, Mohamed El-Shenawy, that it was decided “to continue and intensify the political and diplomatic efforts made, in coordination with the relevant regional and international parties, in a way that contributes to reducing the escalation in the entire region and settling the crises that the region is witnessing peacefully.”
Yesterday, Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi confirmed the readiness of Cairo, a member state of the coalition, “to take any measure to protect” Saudi Arabia if its leadership requests it. At the same time, Al-Sisi said that Egypt does not seek to interfere in the region’s wars, but that “it is absolutely unreasonable to allow the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its security, or its stability to be harmed.” He added, "I am not talking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone," stressing, "We are only talking about defense."
Despite Egypt's membership in the Saudi-led coalition in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, its role was limited to securing the Red Sea, away from the fighting in Yemen. Meanwhile, the Egyptian parliament is holding an emergency session on Sunday to consider granting a mandate to provide possible assistance in the defense of Saudi Arabia.
Military escalation and accusations against Iran
On the ground, the military spokesman for the Houthi group, Yahya Saree, reported on Saturday that Saudi Arabia had launched, during the last 24 hours, dozens of air strikes, which resulted in a “large number” of deaths and injuries. While a coalition spokesman said, “Four drones were intercepted and destroyed during the past hours in the Riyadh, Eastern, and Southern regions.” Residents of the capital, Riyadh, received a warning on their phones at dawn on Sunday morning about the presence of a “hostile air threat,” according to what two journalists at Agence France-Presse reported, and the authorities lifted it minutes later.
Saudi Arabia accused Iran of encouraging the recent escalation of the Houthis, which Tehran denies. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed on Saturday that his country supports a political solution between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Araqchi said in Baghdad on the sidelines of his attendance at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, "We support a comprehensive and comprehensive political solution because it is the only practical and sustainable way to resolve this issue." He also renewed his country's offer to mediate between the two sides. This came after his deputy, Saeed Khatibzadeh, stated earlier that Riyadh did not respond to Tehran’s initiative. The Houthis are part of the so-called "Axis of Resistance" led by Iran against Israel and the United States, but the group and Tehran confirm that they act independently.
The conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia
As a result of the war in the Middle East, a truce that had been in effect in Yemen since 2022 collapsed in July. Battles resumed, and the Houthis achieved progress on the ground, taking control of the western coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait region.
It is noteworthy that the Houthis have been waging confrontations with Saudi Arabia since 2015, when the Kingdom intervened in the Yemeni civil war and led a military coalition against the Iranian-backed group. The Houthis carried out repeated attacks targeting Saudi territory, including attacks that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
For about two weeks, Saudi Arabia has been subjected to almost daily attacks carried out by the Houthis with missiles and drones, the most violent of which was the attack on Riyadh Airport about a week ago, which resulted in 13 dead and about 300 wounded.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia have close strategic and economic relations, and Cairo was part of the coalition led by Riyadh in 2015 to support the Yemeni government in confronting the Houthis. The attacks launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea also affected revenues from shipping traffic through the Suez Canal, as a result of the disturbances that affected one of the most important global sea lanes.
