Egyptian Parliament Approves Empowering President Sisi to Send Defensive Reinforcements to Saudi Arabia 'If Requested'

The Egyptian Parliament, chaired by Advisor Hesham Badawi, approved during its plenary session held on Monday the authorization of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Middle East News Agency reported that the approval was granted by a vote in which MPs stood to authorize the President of the Republic to take all necessary steps to support and defend Saudi Arabia.

Article 152 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that approval for deploying the armed forces on an external combat mission requires a two-thirds majority of the members of the House of Representatives, during an urgent closed session convened at the request of the President of the Republic and after consulting the National Defense Council.

Last week, the Egyptian National Defense Council, in a meeting chaired by the President and attended by the Speakers of the House of Representatives and the Council of Ministers, as well as military commanders, decided to provide all possible and necessary forms of support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, safeguard its resources, and protect its territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites.