Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi in Cairo during his visit to Egypt amid escalating tensions across the Middle East region.
Crown Prince bin Salman arrived in the Egyptian capital earlier on Tuesday and was received by Sisi at Cairo International Airport, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The two leaders stressed the need to ensure freedom and security of navigation in the Bab al Mandab Strait and the Red Sea during talks, the Egyptian presidency said.
Sisi also expressed support for Saudi measures to protect its security and stability and for efforts to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution to the Yemen crisis, the presidency said.
Earlier, Egypt affirmed its “full solidarity and complete support” for Saudi Arabia against any threat, saying the national security of the two countries is “interconnected and inseparable.”
The Egyptian foreign ministry statement came after Houthi drone and missile strikes on Saudi territory injured at least 13 civilians.
“The attacks constitute a clear violation of the rules and provisions of international law and a blatant threat to regional stability and security,” the ministry said.
It renewed Egypt’s “categorical rejection” of the Houthi attacks, warning that their continuation would fuel tensions and increase escalation in the region.
“The national security of Egypt and Saudi Arabia is interconnected, integrated and inseparable,” it stressed.
The Saudi crown prince last visited Cairo on October 15, 2024, when he held talks with Sisi on bilateral relations and regional and international issues.
Yemen has been gripped by war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.
Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022.
The Houthis have been engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen's civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.
The group seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al Mandab Strait last week, which has become vital as the wider US war on Iran chokes the Strait of Hormuz, in a significant blow to Yemeni government forces.
It has also targeted the oil infrastructure of Saudi Arabia, the world's leading crude exporter, pushing oil prices above the $100 threshold.
