CAIRO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's National Defense Council decided on Sunday, during a meeting chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to provide Saudi Arabia with "all necessary and possible" forms of support to defend the kingdom's security and stability, the Egyptian presidency said, amid continued attacks by Yemen's Houthi group against Saudi Arabia.
The council pledged to help safeguard the kingdom's resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites, according to the presidency's statement.
Meanwhile, it decided to continue and intensify political and diplomatic efforts, in coordination with relevant regional and international parties, to contribute to "de-escalating tensions across the entire region and achieving peaceful resolutions to ongoing regional crises."
The council said Saudi national security is closely linked to Egyptian and Arab national security, adding that the "escalating" attacks against the Kingdom were unacceptable.
The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the parliament speaker, prime minister, defense minister, foreign minister, interior minister, intelligence chief and senior military commanders.
On Saturday, Sisi said Egypt was prepared to take "any measures" requested by Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom's security and sovereignty, but stressed that such action "requires parliamentary approval."
He called for an emergency parliamentary session to authorize intervention if requested, while stressing that he was speaking "strictly in terms of defense" rather than waging war.
His remarks came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with both sides exchanging strikes in recent days. ■
