Houthi official calls Egypt’s support for Saudi Arabia a declaration of war on Yemen
Yemen Herald News 
SANAA, Yemen — A senior Houthi official said Egypt’s decision to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia amounted to a declaration of war on Yemen.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the group’s political bureau, made the charge in a statement published on Telegram on Tuesday.
Egypt and its parliament “declare war against the Republic of Yemen”, he said.
He said the group was “not afraid of any alliance that may be formed.”
“It is truly remarkable that while these parties speak of seeking peace in the region, Egypt and its parliament announce support for what they call the defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said in the statement.
Egypt’s parliament voted on Monday to authorise President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take “all necessary measures” to help Saudi Arabia defend itself, Reuters reported.
The vote was held in closed session. An official parliamentary statement said at least two-thirds of the chamber backed the measure, and the tally was not published.
The vote had been postponed the previous week.
The parliamentary statement did not specify what kind of support Egypt would provide.
Essam Farid, speaker of the Senate, called the Egyptian position “purely defensive”.
Egypt’s Senate is the upper chamber of the country’s parliament.
Farid said it covered Saudi territory, borders, sovereignty and holy sites, but not an attack on Yemen.
Sisi had asked for the authorisation in case Riyadh requested help against the Houthis.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and the intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad, travelled to Riyadh to deliver a letter from Sisi to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The letter said Egyptian support would be limited to defending Saudi territory and borders, and would not extend to attacking Yemen, according to Reuters.
Taher al-Khouly, deputy head of parliament’s legislative committee, said forces would be sent in coordination with Riyadh and at its request.
No formal Saudi request for Egyptian troops has been announced.
Abdelatty said Cairo favoured exploring every opportunity for a diplomatic solution in Yemen.
Two Egyptian opposition groups objected to the authorisation.
The Civil Democratic Movement rejected Egyptian military involvement and said Cairo should concentrate on mediation.
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party said its lawmakers would abstain, citing a lack of information on the aims, duration and cost of any deployment, while saying it still supported Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s rival legislatures took opposite positions on the vote.
Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, head of the Shura Council, which is aligned with the internationally recognised government, sent a letter backing Egypt’s participation.
Farid said bin Daghr described the position as reflecting the will of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.
The council has headed the internationally recognised government since it was formed in April 2022.
Yahya Ali al-Rai, speaker of the Houthi-run House of Representatives, urged Egyptian legislators last week to reject the proposal. He said it would threaten Egypt’s own national security and stability.
The Egyptian vote was reported by Reuters from Cairo, and al-Houthi published his statement himself. Yemen Herald did not obtain the text of either Yemeni letter.
Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in March 2015, mainly as a naval partner, and deployed about 800 ground troops in a limited combat role.
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015.
Egypt has not joined the mutual defence pact signed in Mecca in August by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.
Pakistan approved that pact last week, and Turkey’s parliament has begun ratifying it.
Ministers from the three countries met in Riyadh earlier this month and agreed to ensure the rapid deployment of forces.
Officials from the three were in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian leaders.
Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, and Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, met Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Britain said last week it would send RAF Typhoon jets to help protect Saudi cities and infrastructure from Houthi air attacks.
Reuters reported in September that President Donald Trump had not agreed to strikes on the Houthis, and that Washington had agreed to share intelligence and help with targeting.
Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis has escalated in recent weeks.
The Houthis have attacked Riyadh’s international airport and Saudi Aramco, disrupting flights and oil exports.
Attacks in October closed Riyadh’s international airport for two weeks and forced the cancellation of public events in Saudi Arabia.
Fighting resumed in July after the truce agreed in 2022 collapsed.
The Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in Sanaa that month, in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace.
The group then declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and attacked Saudi ships, territory and oil facilities.
In September it launched an offensive and took territory held by the internationally recognised government on the Red Sea coast.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, and the internationally recognised government has since operated from Aden.
The Houthis report frequent Saudi strikes on the areas they administer.
Aid agencies say conditions in Yemen are worsening.
Neither Pakistan nor Turkey has announced strikes on the Houthis since the group escalated its attacks on Saudi Arabia in October.
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