Ansarullah: Egypt’s military support for Saudi tantamount to declaration of war
A member of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement said on Tuesday that the Egyptian parliament’s decision to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia was a declaration of war.
Egypt’s parliament on Monday authorized President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to “undertake necessary” measures to support Saudi Arabia in defending itself, should Riyadh request assistance.
The move raises the possibility of Egypt becoming more directly involved in a conflict which has consumed the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea in recent weeks. It follows Ansarullah’s attacks on Riyadh’s international airport and facilities belonging to Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, Aramco, disrupting flights and oil exports.
El-Sisi had said on Wednesday that any Egyptian military action would be limited to protecting Saudi territory and borders, rather than launching attacks on Yemen.
The comments by Ansarullah’s member was part of a long statement reacting to a Monday visit to Tehran by the Saudi defense minister, alongside Pakistan’s army chief and Turkey’s intelligence chief, in a bid to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East war.
“It is truly remarkable that while these people go to discuss what they call ‘peace in the region’, Egypt and its parliament declare support for the so-called defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in doing so, declare war against the Republic of Yemen,” said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Ansarullah’s political bureau, in a Telegram post.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey recently signed a defense pact in Mecca that says an attack on one country is to be considered an attack on all three.
But since the Ansarullah ramped up attacks on Saudi Arabia earlier this month, the two other countries have not announced any strikes on the group.
Al-Houthi said the pact was “a clear and blatant act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran”, adding that the group was “not afraid of any alliance that may be formed”.
In July, Yemen’s conflict flared up again as a fragile 2022 truce fell apart after the Ansarullah allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital Sana’a, in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks.
The Ansarullah then declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities.