‘Declaration Of War’: Houthis Warn Egypt After Cairo Backs Military Support For Saudi Arabia

Tensions in the Gulf region escalated on Tuesday after a Houthi official accused Egypt of effectively declaring war on Yemen by authorising military support for Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, made the remarks in a post on Telegram, according to news agency AFP.

“Egypt and its parliament declared support for what is called the defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in doing so, it declares war against the Republic of Yemen,” he was quoted as saying.

Egypt Parliament Authorises Military Support For Saudi Arabia

The Houthi official’s remarks came a day after Egypt’s parliament authorised military support for Saudi Arabia to defend against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, AFP reported on Monday.

According to an official parliamentary statement cited in the report, the House of Representatives voted by a two-thirds majority to authorise Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support Saudi Arabia.

The statement said the lawmakers had approved “authorising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take the necessary measures to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

Saudi Arabia is one of Egypt’s strongest allies. However, the report noted that it remained unclear what form of defensive support Cairo could provide.

Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Intercepted Houthi Missiles, Drones

Earlier on Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it had intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles and drones launched by the Houthis towards two regions of Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.

According to the coalition, the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia’s eastern region and four drones towards the country’s southern region.

Saudi Arabia has intensified its strikes against the Houthis since the group captured strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month, the report added.

Escalation Adds To Wider US-Iran Conflict

The latest escalation has opened another front in the conflict between the United States and Iran, which began on February 28 with joint strikes by the US and Israel against Iran.

In retaliation, Tehran launched counterstrikes targeting US and Israeli assets across the Middle East and tightened its control over the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz.