Egypt's parliament passes aid to defend Saudi Arabia, youth movement criticizes 'tantamount to declaration of war'

Egyptian Parliament. (Reuters file photo)

As the Yemeni rebel Houthis intensify their attacks on Saudi Arabia and escalate regional war, Egypt's parliament decided to authorize the president to provide military support to Saudi Arabia. In response, senior leaders of the youth movement criticized Egypt's move on the 27th as "a declaration of war."

Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked parliament last week to authorize Egypt to provide military support if Saudi Arabia requests it. In a closed-door meeting on the 26th, parliament, with the support of at least two-thirds of the seats, authorized Sisi to take "all necessary measures" to assist Saudi Arabia in self-defense. The Egyptian parliament has not announced the number of votes passed and the specific military support that will be provided, nor has it announced Saudi Arabia's formal request for Egypt to send troops.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Political Bureau of the "Youth Movement", issued a long statement on the 27th in response to the visits of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey and other countries to Tehran, in which he mentioned Egypt's agreement to provide military support to Saudi Arabia. The statement said that while personnel from these countries went to discuss regional peace, "Egypt and the country's parliament announced support for the so-called actions to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is a declaration of war against the Yemeni Republic", adding that the group "is not afraid of any possible alliance."

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir, and Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin visited Tehran on the 26th, held talks with Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in an attempt to ease the situation in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey recently signed an agreement similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) collective defense mechanism in Mecca. However, after the youth movement stepped up its attacks on Saudi Arabia this month, neither Pakistan nor Turkey has announced an attack on the youth movement.