Houthi official says Egypt’s military support for Saudi declaration of war

A Houthi official said Tuesday that the Egyptian parliament’s decision to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia to defend against the Iran-backed group’s attacks was a declaration of war. The comment was part of a long statement reacting to a Monday visit to Tehran by the Saudi defence 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 defence 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 Houthis’ political bureau, in a Telegram post.

Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attended the talks with Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. They also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran, Pakistan and Turkey recently signed a Nato-style defence pact in Mecca that says an attack on one country is to be considered an attack on all three.

But since the Houthis 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 Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks.

The Houthis then declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before launching a major offensive in September in which they seized Yemeni government-held territory along the Red Sea coast. In response, the Houthis have reported frequent Saudi strikes targeting areas under their control. In October, the Houthis ramped up their attacks on Saudi Arabia, forcing the cancellation of flagship events and a shutdown of Riyadh airport for two weeks.