Egyptian Foreign Minister says country's military is helping Saudi Arabia defend 'sensitive' sites

Résumé détaillé

Egypt has sent its forces to Saudi Arabia to defend its ally against attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, the country's Foreign Minister has said.The Egyptian…

Egypt has sent its forces to Saudi Arabia to defend its ally against attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, the country's Foreign Minister has said.

The Egyptian parliament voted last month in favour of sending troops to Saudi Arabia after President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s surprise announcement on October 17 that Cairo was prepared to help the kingdom militarily if asked.

Badr Abdelatty's comments, made to France 24 television in an interview aired on Tuesday night, were his country's first official confirmation that Egyptian troops and weapons were already on Saudi soil. Saudi Arabia has yet to publicly comment on Egypt's offer of help or the subsequent sending of troops.

Mr Abdelatty said his country's military was engaged in mainly “defensive objectives to defend sensitive sites, including holy sites and others”. He was alluding to Islam's holiest shrines in Makkah and Madinah.

“We already have a military presence there at the request of our brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia to help; and we are strengthening that,” he said.

Mr Abdelatty did not say how many Egyptian soldiers were already on Saudi soil or specify which weapons had been sent, but sources briefed on the matter said they numbered in the hundreds.

They said that alongside troops, Egypt sent armour, anti-aircraft batteries and surface-to-surface missiles. The anti-aircraft batteries, they said, included the Amoun, a short-to-medium range air-defence system suited to intercepting of low flying missiles or drones.

“The mission is for the Egyptian force to defend Saudi Arabia and not attack the Houthis, but it’s also authorised to defend itself if attacked,” said one of the sources.

Saudi Arabia, bound to Egypt by historical ties, has faced repeated Houthi drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, against airports, and oil and military sites.

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