CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi chaired a meeting of the National Defense Council on Sunday, during which Egypt reaffirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and pledged all necessary support to protect the Kingdom’s security and stability amid escalating regional tensions.

Presidential spokesperson Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said the council reviewed recent regional developments, particularly the escalating attacks against Saudi Arabia, which it described as unacceptable.

The council expressed its full support for the Kingdom, emphasizing the historic ties between the two countries and their shared position at the heart of the Arab world.

It stressed that Saudi national security is inseparable from Egyptian and broader Arab national security.

The council also pledged to provide all necessary and possible forms of support to Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, protect its resources and territorial integrity, and safeguard its Islamic holy sites.

According to the presidential statement, Egypt will continue to intensify its political and diplomatic efforts, in coordination with regional and international partners, to de-escalate tensions and pursue peaceful solutions to ongoing regional crises.

Former Egyptian Foreign Minister Ambassador Mohamed El-Orabi told Arab News that attacks against Saudi Arabia were unacceptable and constituted a direct threat to Arab national security.

He emphasized that Egypt’s position was clear: The Kingdom’s security is an integral part of Egypt’s own national security.

El-Orabi added that the Houthi militia must recognize that its continued reliance on violence would only undermine its position and effectively exclude it from any future political settlement.

On Saturday, El-Sisi requested that Egypt’s parliament convene an emergency session and grant him authorization to take defensive measures should Saudi Arabia request assistance.

The House of Representatives held a plenary session on Sunday in response to the president’s request.

Egyptian MP Mostafa Bakry said in a post on his official X account that parliamentary sessions would continue on Monday and Tuesday.

Former Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi told Arab News that Egypt and Saudi Arabia represented the heart of the Arab world, warning that attacks against the Kingdom posed a serious threat to regional security.

Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy, another former assistant foreign minister, said Egypt regarded Saudi Arabia’s security as an inseparable part of the wider Arab security framework.

He stressed that any violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty or threat to its security and resources could not be viewed as an isolated matter, given its implications for regional stability.

Hegazy also highlighted the deep-rooted ties between the Egyptian and Saudi peoples, as well as the two countries’ shared strategic and security interests, describing their solidarity as both necessary and imperative.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty received a telephone call on Sunday from Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar as part of ongoing diplomatic consultations aimed at reducing regional tensions.

During the call, Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s rejection of any threats to the security of Gulf states, emphasizing that Gulf security was an integral part of Egypt’s own national security.

He also opposed the use of strategic straits and maritime corridors as instruments of political pressure or regional escalation.

Separately, the Arab League strongly condemned Houthi attacks targeting Yemeni government headquarters and civilian facilities, reaffirming its solidarity with the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Yemeni people.

The organization denounced attacks on Al-Maashiq Palace, the seat of the Yemeni government in Aden, as well as Aden International Airport and residential neighborhoods in Marib.

It said the attacks had caused casualties and endangered civilian lives.

The Arab League extended its condolences to the victims’ families, wished the injured a speedy recovery and called for an immediate end to the escalation, the protection of civilians and a comprehensive political settlement to Yemen’s conflict.