Egypt’s Parliament Meets in Emergency Session on Sisi’s Request to Help Defend Saudi Arabia

Egypt’s House of Representatives met in an emergency session on Sunday, 18 October 2026, to consider President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s request for authority to help defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks if Riyadh asks. Hours earlier the National Defence Council, chaired by Sisi, pledged “all necessary and possible forms of support” to the kingdom, according to a presidency statement. The statement did not mention troops, but an MP said the council had approved sending forces on a defensive mission.

Last updated: 18 October 2026

Defense and Tech graphic showing the steps Egypt has taken towards a possible defensive mission in Saudi Arabia, 17-18 October 2026 — Defense and Tech original graphic based on the Egyptian Presidency, Ahram, Reuters and The National. Not a photograph.

Key facts

Request: Sisi asked parliament on 17 October for an emergency session to authorise action to defend Saudi Arabia, if the kingdom requests it
Council decision: the National Defence Council pledged all necessary and possible support to Saudi Arabia’s security, territory, resources and Islamic holy sites
Claimed, not in the official statement: MP Mostafa Bakry says the council approved a defensive troop deployment
Legal bar: Article 152 of the constitution requires a two-thirds majority of MPs for a combat mission abroad
Unknown: the vote result, the size of any force and whether Riyadh has asked for help

What the presidency and the defence council said

The council met on Sunday morning at Al Ittihadiya Palace. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Speaker Hesham Badawy, Defence Minister Lieutenant General Ashraf Zaher and intelligence chiefs attended, The National reported. According to the presidency statement carried by EgyptToday and Reuters, Egypt “will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security and stability, protect its resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites”. The council also called for more diplomatic efforts to calm the region.

The statement did not refer to a deployment. Mostafa Bakry, an MP and television presenter, said on X that the council had approved sending forces to Saudi Arabia on a “defensive mission” and had defined that mission before referring the decision to parliament, Gulf News reported. That account has not been confirmed by the presidency or the armed forces.

The parliamentary vote

The emergency sitting was called for 13:00 Cairo time (10:00 GMT), and Ahram Gate reported that it had begun under Speaker Badawy. Article 152 of Egypt’s constitution says the president may not send the armed forces on a combat mission outside the country without consulting the National Defence Council and winning the approval of two-thirds of MPs. Article 130 of the House’s internal rules requires that vote to take place in an urgent closed session. The result had not been announced when this report was prepared.

What Sisi said

Speaking at a Military Academy graduation on Saturday, Sisi said Egypt would take any measure Saudi Arabia requested to protect it, in line with the wishes of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “I am not talking about going to war with anyone or attacking anyone. We are talking about defence only,” he said, according to EgyptToday. Reuters noted that Crown Prince Mohammed visited Sisi on 15 September, after fighting in Yemen reignited.

Houthi warning and the attacks on Saudi Arabia

Yahya Al Raei, speaker of the Houthi-run parliament in Sanaa, which is not internationally recognised, wrote to Badawy on Saturday rejecting Egypt being “dragged” into the conflict and warning that it would endanger Egypt’s national security, The National reported, citing the Houthis’ Al Masirah TV. The Saudi-led coalition says the Houthis have launched 20 attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport since 1 October and that attacks on Saudi airports have killed 19 people and wounded 364; the deadliest, in Riyadh on 10 October, killed 13 people, among them an Egyptian flight attendant. Early on Sunday the coalition said it had shot down two ballistic missiles fired at Khamis Mushait. Our report on the AH-6i helicopter crash in Najran covers the latest losses on the border.

Background: Egypt’s past role and the Makkah pact

Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 but played a limited combat role, according to Reuters, which describes the Egyptian military as one of the region’s largest and most powerful. Riyadh has also widened its defence ties: Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August, under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all, The National reported. Egypt is not a party to that pact. Our analysis of the Türkiye-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact explains its terms.

What we do not know

No figure for the size, composition or location of any Egyptian force has been published, and no public Saudi request for Egyptian troops had been reported in the sources we reviewed. We will update this report when parliament announces its decision.

Frequently asked questions

Is Egypt sending troops to Saudi Arabia?

Not yet confirmed. The National Defence Council pledged all necessary support; an MP says it approved a defensive deployment, but the presidency statement did not mention troops, and any mission would follow a Saudi request.

Why does Egypt’s parliament have to vote?

Article 152 of the constitution requires a two-thirds majority of MPs, after consulting the National Defence Council, before the armed forces can be sent on a combat mission abroad.