Sisi limits Egyptian military support to defending Saudi Arabia and sends written message to King Salman
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said any Egyptian military effort to support Saudi Arabia will be limited to defending the kingdom's territory and borders and will not include an attack on Yemen. Egypt's foreign minister and head of general intelligence delivered a written message from Sisi to King Salman amid escalating attacks on Saudi soil.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi affirmed that any military support his country provides to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be limited to defending the kingdom’s territory and borders and will not include launching an attack on Yemen. At the same time, Cairo dispatched its foreign minister and the head of the General Intelligence Directorate to Riyadh carrying a written message from Sisi to the Saudi monarch King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Defense of the kingdom, not an attack on Yemen
Sisi said, in remarks during events at the Egypt 2026 Forum on Wednesday, as announced by the Egyptian presidency spokesman, that “the Egyptian military effort is to defend the kingdom’s territory and does not include an attack on Yemen,” explaining that the matter concerns “defending the kingdom’s land and its borders.”
He added that Egypt is ready to defend the territory of any other Arab state if asked to do so, stressing that any Egyptian military move will not exceed Egypt’s borders or the territories of the Arab states whose security and stability Cairo seeks to preserve, and that “Arab national security is indivisible and the stability of our brothers in the Gulf concerns Egypt.”
Sisi reiterated the constants of Egyptian foreign policy, including non-interference in the internal affairs of states and the preservation of their national institutions, stressing that the region “cannot bear more instability.”
A written message from Sisi to King Salman
On the same day, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati and the head of the General Intelligence Directorate, Major General Hassan Rashad, who handed him a written message from the Egyptian president to King Salman concerning bolstering bilateral relations and reaffirming Egypt’s full solidarity with and support for the kingdom.
During the meeting, the parties reviewed aspects of relations between the two countries and opportunities to strengthen them, in addition to discussing regional developments and coordinating efforts regarding them. Present were Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, National Security Adviser Musaad Al Aiban, and the head of General Intelligence Khalid al-Humaidan.
The Crown Prince expressed his deep appreciation for Egypt’s supportive stance toward the kingdom, praising the strength and special nature of Egyptian–Saudi relations, while no additional details of the message’s content were disclosed.
Parliament authorization on 26 October
These developments come after the Egyptian House of Representatives on Monday postponed discussion of Sisi’s request for authorization to provide defensive military support to Saudi Arabia if requested by Riyadh, to a session scheduled for 26 October, after two closed sessions.
According to Article 152 of the Egyptian Constitution, the president does not declare war nor send the armed forces on combat missions outside the state’s borders except after obtaining the opinion of the National Defence Council and the approval of the House of Representatives by a two-thirds majority of its members.
Iranian warning about widening the conflict
In contrast, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Egypt’s or any other party’s involvement in the war in Yemen would make resolving the crisis “more difficult,” saying Cairo has sufficient experience to avoid becoming embroiled in this conflict and noting that Egypt has stated it will not enter Yemen or wage war against it.
Escalation of attacks on Saudi territory
On the ground, the General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia announced that the number of fatalities resulting from the attack targeting King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday evening rose to two — a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident — in addition to eight wounded, with operations at the airport resumed and air traffic returning to normal.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy announced that two foreign residents were killed and two others injured by falling shrapnel after intercepting a drone that attempted to target a facility in the Shaybah oil field, without affecting operations at the field.
The Saudi-led coalition announced the interception and destruction of drones launched toward areas including Medina and the Eastern Province, while Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operation toward Saudi territory on Wednesday, describing the announcement of drone interceptions in the airspace of Medina as “a false claim.”
Since July, confrontations have renewed between the Houthis and government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and attacks toward Saudi territory have escalated since the Houthis seized large stretches of the Yemeni coast overlooking the Red Sea in September.
Read also: Saudi civil aviation authority says fatalities from the attack on King Fahd Airport rise to two
