Riyadh (TDI): Saudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted multiple drones targeting the kingdom on Wednesday as attacks linked to Yemen’s escalating conflict intensified, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo’s proposed military assistance to Riyadh would be limited to defending Saudi territory and would not involve attacking Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement initially reported intercepting four drones over the kingdom’s Eastern Province and the Madinah region. It subsequently announced further interceptions, bringing the reported total to seven drones during the day.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki did not initially identify those responsible for the launches. The Houthis denied targeting Saudi Arabia, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying the group had not conducted operations deep inside Saudi territory.
The interceptions came amid growing concerns over the security of Saudi infrastructure and the possibility of a broader regional confrontation.
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Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said debris from an intercepted drone targeting a processing facility at the Shaybah oilfield in the Eastern Province killed two people and injured two others. The fatalities were identified as Filipino and Nepali nationals, while the injured included Pakistani and Indian nationals.
The debris reportedly ignited a fire in a contractor’s vehicle outside the facility’s perimeter. The ministry said the incident did not disrupt operations at the oilfield, located near the United Arab Emirates border. It did not identify who launched the drone.
Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a military camp near Aden airport, in southern Yemen, where the internationally recognised government is based.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted the Saudi-led coalition’s operations room at Badr Camp with a ballistic missile.
Against this backdrop, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo’s proposed military support for Saudi Arabia would be intended exclusively to defend the kingdom’s territory.
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According to Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News, Sisi said the assistance would “defend Saudi territory, and does not include an attack on Yemen.”
He also stressed that security and stability in the Gulf were directly connected to Egypt’s national security, signalling Cairo’s concern over the widening conflict and its potential regional consequences.
Egypt’s parliament has postponed consideration of Sisi’s request for authorisation to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia until October 26. The request would allow Cairo to deploy support if Riyadh formally sought it.
The proposal comes as Saudi Arabia faces repeated missile and drone threats and seeks greater regional cooperation to protect its territory and critical infrastructure. Egypt’s potential involvement would mark a significant development in the conflict, although Sisi’s public remarks have drawn a clear distinction between defensive assistance and offensive operations inside Yemen.
