President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met Saturday with members of the National Defence Council, in a meeting that saw the expansion of the Egyptian armed forces’ participation in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The council agreed on extending “the participation of the required elements of the armed forces in an abroad mission to defend the Egyptian and Arab national security in the area of the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Bab El-Mandab Strait,” according to a statement from the presidency.
The expansion is set to extend for six months, or until the end of the mission, according to whichever comes sooner.
Although the exact level of the Egyptian forces’ participation is not clear, it is known that at the least, navy warships have been deployed in the Red Sea to aid the campaign, mainly led by airstrikes, that was launched in March to quell the Houthi rebel forces.
During the meeting with the National Defence Council, the latest developments of the internal security situation were discussed, as well as regional developments.
The meeting was also attended by head of the Suez Canal Authority, former military navy chief, Mohab Mamish, to discuss the security plan for the Thursday’s much-anticipated inauguration of the New Suez Canal axis project.
