Egypt previously ruled out intervention in Yemen, Araghchi says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has received no response from Saudi Arabia or Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) group to its proposal to mediate talks aimed at ending the fighting, as military clashes continue both inside Yemen and through cross-border attacks.
In a televised interview with Iraq’s Al Ekhbariya TV broadcast Tuesday, Araghchi said outside intervention would complicate the situation. He noted that Cairo had previously told Tehran it would “not directly” intervene in Yemen. However, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced Egypt’s readiness to support Saudi Arabia in defending its security and called for an emergency parliamentary session to authorize him to do so. The session, held on Monday, postponed a decision until next Monday.
Araghchi first put forward the initiative about 10 days ago during a phone call with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan. During the call, Iran stressed that “regional crises cannot be resolved militarily.”
On Oct. 15, AFP quoted a Saudi Foreign Ministry official as saying Riyadh had asked the Houthis to meet in Muscat in the preceding weeks, but they had refused. The official said this was the last contact between the two sides before the latest escalation.
On Sunday, Ansar Allah chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam said the group had communicated with Saudi Arabia directly and indirectly and had submitted proposals. He added that Sanaa had called on Saudi Arabia to end the blockade and address humanitarian issues in accordance with the roadmap, submitting more than one proposal, but the Saudi side had not taken a single step forward.
As negotiations stall, Ansar Allah missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory continue alongside intensifying fighting between the group and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, particularly in southwestern Yemen and along the Red Sea coast.
On Wednesday, Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki announced that four drones launched toward the kingdom had been destroyed over the Medina region and the Eastern Province. He later announced in a separate statement that another drone had been intercepted in the Eastern Province, bringing the total to five.
However, Ansar Allah military spokesman Yahya Saree denied that the group had launched drones toward Medina, saying it had conducted no military operations against Saudi Arabia that day.
In a post on X, Saree said Saudi Arabia’s claims of intercepting drones over Medina were “false allegations and a great and grievous slander” against the Yemeni people and their armed forces.
As attacks on Saudi Arabia widen, Britain announced Tuesday that it would expand its military support for the kingdom by deploying Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets on defensive air patrols to intercept missiles and drones targeting Saudi cities and critical infrastructure.
British Defense Secretary John Healey said the fighter jets would conduct defensive operations over Saudi territory without striking Houthi positions on the ground.
London also announced that it would send a military transport aircraft and military advisers, and extend its mission to refuel Saudi aircraft in the air by an additional 90 days.
In mid-September, the Associated Press quoted unnamed regional officials as saying Saudi Arabia was facing a shortage of interceptor missiles amid its clashes with the Houthis. The officials said Riyadh had asked Egypt, France, Britain, and Pakistan to deploy air defense support in the region to counter Houthi missiles and drones.