Cairo: Parliament authorised Egypt's military on Monday to provide support to help defend Saudi Arabia, parliamentarians said and local media reported, a move that could push Cairo directly into the regional conflict that has expanded with intensified attacks by Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis on the Gulf kingdom.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had asked parliament last week to approve defending its Gulf Arab ally and the world's biggest oil exporter if Riyadh requests help against the Houthis, whose advances also threaten the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait - a gateway to Egypt's Suez Canal.
