Egypt just approved sending troops to defend Saudi Arabia
1 hour ago · 18 October 2026Share
Egyptian MI-17 helicopters drop off infantry troops during a Combined Live Fire Exercise near Mubarak Military City. File photo. Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 · Public domain
Egypt's defence council just approved a mission to send troops to Saudi Arabia.
But the Egyptian presidency's own statement on the same meeting doesn't actually say that.
So what happened? The council met a few hours ago in Cairo, at Al Ittihadiya Palace, chaired by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
Mostafa Bakry, a member of Egypt's House of Representatives, posted on X that the council had approved sending troops, and had defined exactly what those troops would do.
The presidency tells it differently. Its own statement lists three things: solidarity with Saudi Arabia, all necessary and possible assistance to defend it, and stronger diplomacy to cool the region down. No mention of troops. No mention of a deployment.
So now there are two versions of one meeting. One MP says troops are approved. The presidency says support, without saying what kind.
And this still has to go through parliament. Egypt's House of Representatives, led by Speaker Hesham Badawy, was due to hold an emergency session at 1pm Cairo time today. No result from that session has been reported yet.
Sisi can't just decide this alone. Egypt's constitution is specific about it. Article 152 says sending troops abroad on a combat mission needs the National Defence Council first, then a two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives. The council has acted. The two-thirds vote hasn't happened.
This all started the day before, at a graduation ceremony for cadets at the Egyptian Military Academy. Abdel Fattah El Sisi stood up and called on parliament to hold an emergency session, so he could be authorised to take defensive measures for Saudi Arabia, if the kingdom asks.
Abdel Fattah El Sisi says quote "Egypt is ready to take any measure Saudi Arabia requests".
But he was careful. Any action would be defensive. Only at Saudi Arabia's request. In line with what King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman want.
The rest of this story is for members.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data showing the south-eastern parts of Iran and the Arabian Peninsula including the Strait of Hormuz, linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. File photo. Envisat satellite · CC BY-SA 3.0 igo
He put it plainly himself. He said he wasn't talking about attacking or waging war — only about defending.
So Egypt's president ruled out going on the attack before parliament has even voted on defending anyone.
Now here's why Saudi Arabia needs this at all. It's under attack. Fighting with Yemen's Houthi movement, backed by Iran, got worse in July, after the group said it was blockading Saudi ports by sea and took more land in Yemen. This month, the Saudi-led coalition launched a full campaign against the Houthis, called Dawn of Yemen.
And the Houthis have hit back hard, right at the Saudi capital. The National reports at least 20 strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport since the start of October. The airport has shut down completely.
The death toll depends who you ask. The National says 17 killed and more than 300 wounded from the airport attacks. Al Jazeera reports 13 killed in the 10 October strike specifically. The numbers don't match, and neither outlet has changed them to agree.
The day before Sisi's announcement, Major-General Turki al-Maliki, who speaks for the Saudi-led coalition, said it had intercepted and destroyed four drones in one day, over Riyadh, the Eastern Province and the south.
Several embassies in Saudi Arabia have told their citizens to stay away from the airports. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education has extended remote learning in Riyadh and Diriyah.
Iran's side of this, for now, is diplomatic. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran backs what he calls a comprehensive political process to end the conflict.
So here's what we don't know. Whether Saudi Arabia has actually asked Egypt for troops at all — Sisi has only ever said he'd act if asked. What form any Egyptian help would actually take. And how parliament's vote goes this afternoon.
Right now, Egypt has approved a mission it hasn't fully described, to help a country that hasn't been reported asking for it, waiting on a vote that hasn't happened yet.
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