Sisi Asks Egypt's Parliament to Back Defending Saudi Arabia if Riyadh Asks

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday that Egypt would take any measures needed to defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh asks for help, and he asked parliament to hold an emergency session on Sunday to give him that authority in advance.

Sisi spoke at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy. "It is inconceivable that we would allow Saudi Arabia, its security or stability to be harmed," he said. He said Egypt was not looking to attack anyone, but was ready to act in defence.

"I know this requires the approval of the Egyptian parliament, and I ask that an emergency session be held so that it can give us that authorisation if we are asked," Sisi said. Parliament answered within hours. It said it would hold a plenary session at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, in response to the request, though it did not publish the agenda.

Why he spoke now

Yemen's Houthi movement, which is aligned with Iran, has stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent days, hitting Riyadh's international airport and the state oil company Saudi Aramco. Fighting has also restarted between the Houthis and the Saudi backed forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government after a truce fell apart.

Sisi said Egypt would act in line with guidance from Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The crown prince visited Sisi on September 15, after the fighting in Yemen reignited, and the two discussed security and shipping in the Red Sea.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are close partners. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states gave Egypt billions in aid, deposits and investment after the military removed President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Egypt also joined the Saudi led coalition that went into Yemen in 2015 to back the government against the Houthis.

The same speech set an end date for his presidency

Sisi used the same graduation speech to say that his time in office is settled. He said his presidential term will end in 2030, that the constitution will not be amended, and that the question "has been completely settled and will not be discussed."

Sisi, 71, is serving a six year term after winning re-election in December 2023. Changes approved in a 2019 referendum lengthened presidential terms from four years to six and let him run for a third term, which opened the way for him to stay until 2030. He first took power in 2013, when the military removed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, after mass protests.

He also set out a plan to prepare the people who come after him. Holders of doctorates from Egyptian and foreign universities would spend 30 months training at the military academy for leadership jobs from the presidency to ministries and parliament. A committee overseen by the speaker of parliament would set the selection rules and draft the law.

"I will not leave the Egyptian state except when it is replete with sons and daughters capable of assuming responsibility," he said.

What happens next

Sunday's session is the first test of how far Cairo is ready to go. An authorisation would not put Egyptian forces into action on its own, but it would give Sisi legal cover to move fast if Riyadh makes a formal request.

The war gave a mixed signal on the same day. In Sanaa, 159 people held over the conflict in Yemen were released with support from the Red Cross, which said the release was started by the authorities in Sanaa.