Sisi Asks Egypt's Parliament for a Mandate to Defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh Requests It

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi asked parliament on Saturday, Oct. 17, to authorize Egyptian action to defend Saudi Arabia if Riyadh requests it, Reuters and Egyptian state-owned Ahram Online reported. Egypt's House of Representatives will meet Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. Cairo time (6 a.m. ET), according to a parliamentary announcement quoted by Ahram Online and Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. Reuters also reported the session time.

Any deployment depends on a Saudi request. As of 10:42 a.m. ET Saturday, no such request had been reported, and GROKsiNEWS.com found no public Saudi response to Sisi's remarks.

What Sisi said

Sisi spoke at a graduation ceremony for the Egyptian Military Academy and military colleges in the New Capital, east of Cairo. House Speaker Hisham Badawi and Defense Minister Ashraf Salem Zaher attended, according to Egypt's State Information Service and the state news agency MENA.

"It is inconceivable that we would allow Saudi Arabia, its security or stability to be harmed," Sisi said, according to Reuters.

"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," he said, according to Reuters.

Ahram Online, in its own translation, quoted him as saying: "We will take any action to protect Saudi Arabia, and I call on parliament to hold an emergency session to authorize this action if we are asked to do so".

Sisi also stressed that any action would be defensive. "We do not want to fight or attack anyone. We will only defend Saudi Arabia," he said, according to Ahram Online. Reuters reported that he said Egypt was not seeking to attack anyone but was prepared to act in defense.

Sisi said Egypt would act in line with the guidance of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported. Reuters noted that the crown prince visited Sisi on Sept. 15.

Sunday's session

The parliamentary announcement, as quoted by Ahram Online, said: "In light of the president's request, it has been decided to hold the council's plenary session at 1 pm tomorrow, Sunday, 18 October 2026". Reuters reported that parliament did not disclose the session's agenda.

The vote is pending. As of Saturday morning, GROKsiNEWS.com could not find the announcement, or a presidential statement on the remarks, on the official websites of the presidency or the House. Official coverage of the ceremony from the State Information Service and MENA that GROKsiNEWS.com reviewed did not mention Saudi Arabia.

No draft text of a mandate has been made public. It is not known what forces, time frame or area any authorization would cover.

What the constitution requires

Article 152 of Egypt's constitution makes the president supreme commander of the armed forces. It says the president "cannot declare war, or send the armed forces to combat outside state territory, except after consultation with the National Defense Council and the approval of the House of Representatives with a two-thirds majority of its members".

The text sets the bar at two-thirds of the House's members, not two-thirds of those present. Sisi himself acknowledged that parliament must approve any such action, Reuters and Ahram Online reported. As of Saturday, there was no public report of a National Defense Council meeting on the matter.

Context: Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Sisi's request follows a wave of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have in recent days attacked Riyadh's international airport and the state oil company Saudi Aramco, Reuters reported. The attacks came amid renewed fighting between the group and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces after a truce collapsed.

A strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Oct. 10 killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, the Associated Press and Reuters reported on Oct. 12. Another attack on the airport the next day killed one person, Reuters reported.

The Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in September 2014, and a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015, Anadolu reported. It said the current round of fighting began in July, after a 2022 truce collapsed. Egypt joined the Saudi-led coalition in 2015, Reuters reported.

Cairo has publicly backed Riyadh. On Monday, Oct. 12, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that Egypt condemned the attacks on the kingdom and stood in "full solidarity" with it, the State Information Service and MENA said. On Thursday, Oct. 15, Sisi said threats to Saudi Arabia affect Egyptian and Arab national security, Ahram Online reported.

What happens next

The House meets Sunday at 1 p.m. Cairo time (6 a.m. ET). Even if lawmakers approve a mandate, Sisi has said Egypt would act only if Saudi Arabia asks.

GROKsiNEWS.com will update this story after the session.