Egypt weighs military support for Saudi Arabia; UAE agrees to re-engage in Yemen war ... Fears grow of escalation in Yemen civil war

[Financial News]  Ground fighting between Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels is intensifying. Egypt is considering military support for Saudi Arabia, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also agreed with Saudi Arabia to re-enter the Yemen war to counter the Houthi offensive, raising fears that the conflict could widen.
On the 17th (local time), foreign media outlets, including AFP, reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had said Egypt was ready to defend Saudi Arabia if it received a request from Saudi Arabia. In a speech at the graduation ceremony of Egypt’s military academy, el-Sisi said, “We do not seek a particular role in regional conflicts,” but stressed, “It is inconceivable that Saudi Arabia’s security or stability could be violated.”
The remarks came as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels sharply stepped up attacks on key targets, including Saudi energy facilities and a major airport in the capital, Riyadh. In particular, a Houthi attack a week earlier killed 13 people, marking the highest death toll from an attack in Saudi Arabia in the past decade or so. El-Sisi said, “If King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman request or direct us to do so, Egypt will take every measure to protect and defend Saudi Arabia,” adding, “This means only ‘defense,’ not attacking anyone or going to war.” Egypt’s parliament is due to consider on the 18th whether to approve support for the defense of Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi rebels have been in continual conflict with Saudi Arabia since 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen’s civil war and began leading a military coalition. Egypt and Saudi Arabia share strong strategic and economic ties, and Egypt also took part in the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government in 2015. Recently, disruptions to shipping in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks have also reduced revenue from Suez Canal tolls, a major source of income for Egypt.
Foreign media outlets, including the British newspaper The Guardian, reported that the UAE had also agreed that day to resume funding Yemeni militias fighting the Houthi rebels in exchange for aerial military support from Saudi Arabia. The reports said the agreement signaled a renewed opening for cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, rivals in the Gulf region, and that funding would resume for forces in southern Yemen that the UAE had previously trained and financed, particularly the “Giant Brigades.” The Giant Brigades are considered the most powerful fighting force among Yemen’s fragmented anti-Houthi coalition. The UAE withdrew from operations in Yemen and suspended its funding in January this year after a dispute with Saudi Arabia over plans for Yemen’s future. But as Saudi Arabia has faced Houthi drone and missile attacks targeting major airports and energy infrastructure, military cooperation between the two countries has resumed.


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