Yahya al-Raei, the Speaker of the Houthi-aligned Yemeni House of Representatives, expressed his concern on Saturday regarding the possibility of Egypt joining any military movement supporting Saudi Arabia against the group. This came in an urgent message sent by al-Raei to the Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament, Hisham Badawi, regarding news of an emergency parliamentary session scheduled for Sunday, following a call by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to discuss authorizing him to take measures to defend Saudi Arabia, according to the Yemeni news agency Saba.
Firm Rejection of Involvement
Al-Raei stated in his message: "We firmly reject dragging Arab and historic Egypt into a battle that does not resemble its values." He added: "We are closely monitoring any trends that could lead to Egypt's involvement in military movements serving the policies of the Saudi regime in Yemen." Al-Raei claimed that "the Saudi regime is the one that launched the aggression and blockade on Yemen for more than 12 years, and it is the one that shirked implementing the road map and circumvented the understandings and political efforts made to restore peace."
Sisi's Call to Parliament
The state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Saturday that the House of Representatives, chaired by Badawi, will hold an emergency session on Sunday in response to Sisi's call. Earlier on Saturday, Sisi called on parliament to convene the session during a speech he delivered at a graduation ceremony for new batches of the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital. Sisi said: "We will implement any measure to protect Saudi Arabia, and I call on parliament to hold an emergency session to authorize this movement if we are asked to do so."
Military Escalation and Egyptian Support
These developments come amid ongoing military escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group since July last year, which included targeting civil aviation facilities and energy installations in the kingdom. On September 15, Sisi confirmed during his talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo, the support of his country for the measures taken by the kingdom to protect its security and stability. Both sides emphasized, according to a statement from the Egyptian Presidency at the time, that current regional conditions require further solidarity and coordination between the two countries, and that the security of Saudi Arabia and Gulf states is part of Egypt's national security.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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