President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi confirmed Thursday the participation of the Egyptian air and navy forces in a Saudi-led military operation on the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Egyptian Presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef announced.
“In response to Yemen’s call and in line with the decision taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council to support the Yemeni people’s legitimacy under the presidency of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and based on the Arab Joint Defense Agreement, it was inevitable to Egypt to bear the responsibility and meet the call of the Yemeni people to bring back their stability and Arab identity,” the statement read.
Houthi fighters took control over Northern provinces of Yemen in September and then took Sanaa in January. U.S.-backed President Hadi and his Cabinet were forced to resign in January after he came under house arrest; however Hadi escaped in February to his home region of Aden where he declared he was still the president, and Aden was the new capital. Hadi is recognized by most foreign countries as Yemen’s head of state, although Iran has characterized the Houthi takeover as a revolution.
Saudi forces and their allies targeted Houthi sites in Sanaa and the Saada Governorate. The airstrikes left 18 persons killed and 24 others injured, according to the Houthi-controlled Yemeni news agency. Saudi state news has denied any casualties.
Egypt recently invited Hadi to participate in an Arab League summit starting Thursday in Sharm al-Sheikh. Arab Countries, expect Iraq, announced their support of the military operation, Resolute Storm.
Four vessels from the Egyptian navy crossed the Suez Canal towards the Gulf of Aden, Reuters reported. Egypt has stated previously that it would use all possible means even the military option to protect the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, southern Yemen.
The Bab al-Mandeb Strait will “never be closed” and the international navigation of the Red Sea will “never be halted,” Houthi spokesperson Mohamed Abdel Salam told Youm7 Friday.
“We respect Egypt, its people, its President, and all the agreements signed between Yemen and the neighboring countries,” Abdel Salam said, noting that Egypt has helped many Arab nations, particularly Yemen, adding that the group had sent this message to Egyptian Sisi.
The strait is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, and is crucial to maritime navigation.
