CAIRO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's House of Representatives will hold an emergency session on Sunday following a request from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, state-run Nile TV news website reported Saturday.
In a statement, the parliament's secretariat said the session would begin at 1 p.m. local time on Sunday in response to a request from the president, according to the report.
The parliament's decision followed remarks by Sisi earlier in the day that his country is prepared to take any measures requested by Saudi Arabia to defend the kingdom's security and sovereignty, according to Nile TV.
"We will take all necessary measures to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Sisi said during a televised graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital.
However, he said that such a move "requires parliamentary approval."
"I call on parliament to convene an emergency session to authorize us to act, should we be asked to intervene. I am not talking about waging war against anyone; I am speaking strictly in terms of defense," he added.
"We stand firmly to protect and defend the territories of our brothers in the Gulf," he said.
His remarks came amid escalating hostilities between Yemen's Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with both sides exchanging attacks and military warnings in recent days. ■