Egypt vows ‘any kind’ of support for Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks

Egypt is prepared to provide Saudi Arabia with "any kind" of support, as the kingdom faces intensified Houthi attacks, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Tuesday.

"Whatever is being asked by the Saudis, of course we will respond," Abdelatty told Bloomberg Television when asked whether Egypt could provide military support to Saudi Arabia.

"Without any reservation, we provide all kinds of support," he added in an interview on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund in Bangkok on October 12-18.

Abdelatty also said Egypt is seriously considering joining the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which currently brings together Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.

"The issue is under serious consideration by the Egyptian side," he added.

The pact was signed in Mecca on Aug. 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

It provides that an armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all of them. Türkiye has said the agreement is defensive in nature, targets no country and is open to other friendly nations.

On Oct. 5, the alliance agreed to "immediately" implement its collective defense commitments following escalating Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia and to take measures for the "rapid deployment" of agreed military forces and capabilities to the kingdom.

Abdelatty's remarks come after a sharp escalation in Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports and other facilities.

Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement Sunday condemning the attacks and reaffirming support for Riyadh's legitimate measures to counter and deter them. The statement followed a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 13 people and injured 309 others.

In September, Cairo said Egyptian and Saudi national security are "interconnected and inseparable," while warning that continued Houthi attacks risked fueling wider regional tensions.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.