LONDON: Egypt will provide “any kind of support” to Saudi Arabia, the country’s foreign minister said on Tuesday, amid a wave of attacks on the Kingdom by the Houthi militia in Yemen. Asked if his country would offer military support to its Gulf ally, Badr Abdelatty told Bloomberg TV: “Whatever is being asked by the Saudis, of course we will respond.” He added that requests for “any kind of support from Egypt” would be met with a positive response.

The Houthis have ramped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on Riyadh’s main international airport in the past week that killed 18 people and injured hundreds. Abdelatty said Saudi Arabia’s national security is an integral part of Egypt’s national security “and the national security of the Arab world.” Asked if Egypt was open to direct involvement in Yemen, the minister said his country would provide all “different kinds of solidarity and support to Saudi Arabia. “We cannot accept aggressions or attacks on Saudi territories, this is fully condemned by Egypt and we stand firmly beside Saudi Arabia,” he said during the interview at an International Monetary Fund meeting in Bangkok. Egypt has acted as a mediator in the wider war between the US and Iran, and Abdelatty said Cairo was pushing to stop the Houthi attacks along with a wider de-escalation in the region. He called for an immediate halt to the Tehran-backed militia’s attacks on Saudi Arabia during a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday. The Egyptian minister told Araghchi there was “no justification” for the “unacceptable” strikes, his ministry said. He also urged Iran and the US to return to negotiations to avoid further escalation and instability in the region. A Houthi missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300. The attacks have been met with global condemnation and strong offers of support from the Kingdom’s allies.

Abdelatty said Egypt was seriously considering joining the Makkah Defense Pact, which was formed last month between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye. The move, he said, was “under discussion.” He added that the resumption of the Yemen conflict is having a “devastating” impact on traffic through the Suez Canal, a crucial source of foreign currency for Egypt. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi recently said that regional instability in recent years had cost Egypt $20 billion in lost Suez Canal revenues.