Egypt's Foreign Minister Confirms Egyptian Troops Have Been in Saudi Arabia for Months; Mission Defensive, Focused on Air Defense
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed in an interview on Nov. 10 that Egyptian troops have been in Saudi Arabia for months — the first public confirmation by an Egyptian official that Egyptian forces have actually deployed inside the kingdom.
Sky News Arabia reported the remark under the headline "Our troops have been in Saudi Arabia for months." Speaking to France 24, Abdelatty defended Egypt's military assistance to Saudi Arabia, saying Egypt's parliament had authorized President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to provide military assistance to Riyadh and emphasizing that the mission is defensive rather than offensive.
He said the assistance focuses on air defense capabilities to protect sensitive Saudi facilities, including Islamic holy sites. Cairo has repeatedly said its assistance is intended to protect Saudi territory, not to launch attacks against Yemen.
In October, Egypt's House of Representatives voted by a two-thirds majority to authorize el-Sisi to take necessary measures, including sending forces, to help Saudi Arabia defend itself if Riyadh asked, in response to Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities. When and how Egyptian forces entered Saudi Arabia had not been officially addressed since; the foreign minister's remarks are the first confirmation at the deployment level.
In the same interview, Abdelatty warned that rising oil and food prices and disruptions to global shipping are inflicting widespread economic damage. He said he would visit Washington in the coming days for meetings with congressional leaders from both parties and expressed confidence that U.S. Foreign Military Financing for Egypt would continue.
(Source: Sky News Arabia)
Source: Sky News Arabia
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：埃及外交部长 Badr Abdelatty。照片：Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Photo by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
