Foreign military intervention... between Mubarak and Sisi

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I find a similarity between the moments of the two Egyptian presidents, the late Hosni Mubarak and the current Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with regard to Egypt’s strategic military position towards the Gulf wars, including the Yemen war today.

In August 1990, when the Iraqi army, led by Saddam Hussein, swallowed up the State of Kuwait, in the stupidest and most dangerous contemporary Arab step, the effects of which continue to this day. President Mubarak was decisive in directing Egypt’s position towards the right path in the movement of history, and refused to listen to the absurdists and anarchists outside Egypt - such as Colonel Gaddafi - and inside Egypt from the leftist, “nationalist” and “Brotherhood” movements, inside or outside Parliament.

Mubarak led the emergency Arab summit in Cairo in August 1990, and succeeded in passing Resolution 195, which condemned the invasion and approved sending Arab forces to defend Saudi Arabia and liberate Kuwait, overcoming the majority vote over the traditional consensus.

Egypt - itself - and Arab security as a whole gained from this courageous “non-populist” step by the late Mubarak.

Today, and let us be frank, President Sisi’s announcement of Egypt’s military readiness to defend Saudi Arabia, in the form requested by Saudi Arabia, in its war with the Houthi militias in Yemen, supported by Iran, outside Iran in the Far East of the world, and others, reveals a vision of insight and high responsibility.

This announcement will not be acceptable to the remnants of the left, the “nationalism,” and the “Brotherhood,” or most of them, inside and outside Parliament. This is certain, and Iran, through its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, was also dissatisfied with this step.

The two, Mubarak and Sisi, made it clear that the military move is defensive and not offensive. After the liberation of Kuwait, Mubarak rejected any Egyptian participation inside Iraq, and today Sisi says that the Egyptian military move, if it happens, is purely defensive. And not inside Yemen, as Sisi confirmed during the Egypt Forum 2026 session, in the context of talking about the interconnection of Egyptian security with Saudi and Gulf security.

I am surprised by those who doubt or belittle this position. On the contrary, this is a wonderful and influential position that must be built upon and encouraged, and not keeping up with some voices in social media, and others, who are consciously working to thwart any effective Arab cooperation against the Iranian project, or who are surfing the social waves with their eyes closed.

Egypt has strong military capabilities that are not hidden, but leave this alone. It is enough that the head of state in Egypt directed the general public in Egypt towards the correct direction of history, in contrast to the bidding, readings and biases of some of the few Egyptian elites, who lost the compass.

Egypt also has a direct interest in securing the Red Sea, a national interest, as the Egyptian dictionary says. Data reveal that Egypt lost about $7 billion in canal revenues between 2023 and 2024, after revenues had recorded $10.2 billion during 2023.

Having Egypt with you is a gain and a victory.

Quoted from Asharq Al-Awsat