Egypt’s Sisi seeks authorisation to provide defence assistance to Saudi Arabia

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has called for an emergency parliamentary session to authorise him to respond to any Saudi request for defence assistance. Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy, he said Egypt was ready to protect the kingdom, while stressing that the aim was neither to fight nor attack anyone. The request follows a series of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces on Saudi infrastructure; a strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport earlier this month killed 14 people and wounded more than 300. Yemen’s internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government launched an offensive this month to retake territory held by the Houthis.