Egypt has signalled its readiness to provide military support to Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom against escalating Houthi attacks, as the UAE and Saudi Arabia stepped up high-level consultations on regional security amid growing fears of a wider Middle East conflict.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has requested an urgent parliamentary session to authorise the deployment of Egyptian forces in support of Saudi Arabia, should Riyadh seek assistance, according to the Egyptian presidency.
A parliamentary vote had been expected on Sunday, but deliberations were set to continue on Monday, according to two lawmakers and local media reports.
The development comes as Saudi Arabia and the UAE intensify consultations on regional security and stability.
UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to discuss the latest regional developments and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and coordination.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their strategic relationship and enhancing joint efforts to consolidate regional security and stability, according to the UAE's official news agency WAM.
Six injured in Najran attack
The diplomatic and military developments followed a fresh Houthi attack on Saudi territory on Sunday, in which six civilians were injured when a projectile struck a residential neighbourhood in the southern city of Najran.
Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defence said three homes and three vehicles also sustained damage in the attack.
The directorate condemned the targeting of civilian areas as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, adding that emergency teams had responded to the incident and implemented the necessary procedures.
In a separate development, the Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen announced that two Saudi officers were killed when an AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the Ministry of National Guard crashed in the Najran region.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki attributed the crash to a technical malfunction.
Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, and the Iran-allied Houthis has intensified in recent weeks, opening another front in the wider conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
The Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia as the regional war continues.
