Egypt Should Be Fighting Against the Houthis in Yemen - Adam Turner

 

by Adam Turner

It is Egypt’s job to protect the Suez Canal – the vital waterway between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

 

“The Houthi rebels effectively completed their rapid push to take control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline on Friday, tightening their grip on one of the world’s most important shipping routes and delivering a dramatic boost to their backers in Iran.” –NBC News 9/11/2026

The Shia Muslim terror proxy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Houthis of Yemen, are tightening their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This is a big deal, because an average of 8.1 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum liquids moved through the Strait during the second quarter of 2026. There is also the non-energy trade. All this international trade then heads to Europe and/or the Americas. An expert Israeli source has warned about the dramatic consequences of the Houthi advance—“They will be able to shoot at whatever they want with anti-tank missiles; they will see the ships with the naked eye.” The source points to a significant gap between the Strait of Hormuz, which currently attracts most of the world’s attention, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait: “They are at the shortest point; it is worse than Hormuz.”

With Iran also threatening the Strait of Hormuz—however ineffectively—this is bound to have grave repercussions for the world energy market and the international economy.

Which leads me to my big question for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi—“what would you say … you do here, President Sisi?” (For those unfamiliar with the movie comedy Office Space, this scene has become a meme about people who hold down jobs where they do nothing of any real significance.)

It is Egypt’s job to protect the Suez Canal—the vital waterway between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. In 1954, Egypt signed a treaty with the United Kingdom, the then-colonial power, which stated: “8. The agreement will recognize that the Suez Maritime Canal, which is an integral part of Egypt, is a waterway economically, commercially, and strategically of international importance, and will express the determination of both parties to uphold the 1888 Convention guaranteeing the freedom of navigation of the Canal.” The Houthi interruptions of trade through the Bab el-Mandeb to the Red Sea are, without a doubt, gravely harming the freedom of navigation of the Canal by attempting to close off one side of it.

As a result, Egypt has suffered great harm. Egypt relies on the fees paid by international shipping companies that transit the canal. “According to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Egypt likely lost around $7 billion (€6.15 billion) from a decrease in traffic through the Suez Canal in 2024 alone.”

Egypt is a much stronger power than the Houthis. Egypt is the colossus of the Arab world, with a population of more than 110 million people. Yemen’s population is a comparatively paltry 34 million, with the Houthis making up less than a third of that. The Egyptian army has almost 500,000 active personnel, with another 500,000 reserves. The Houthis have “from 20,000 core militants—composed of tribal forces and former government troops—to up to 350,000 fighters.” Egypt has a capable navy. The Houthis do not. Egypt has a large air force of more than 1,000 aircraft, with almost 250 fighter jets. The Houthis have no jet fighters.

The U.S., which heavily funds the Egyptian government, has made it clear that it is in the U.S. national interest to facilitate trade going through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. U.S. aid to Egypt is substantial—“Since 1946, the United States has provided Egypt with over $90 billion in bilateral foreign aid (calculated in historical dollars—not adjusted for inflation), with military and economic assistance increasing significantly after 1979.” For decades, the U.S. has provided Egypt with roughly $1.4 billion a year, much of it given to the Egyptian military.

Egypt has a history of fighting in Yemen dating to the 1960s. Under a previous military dictator, President Nasser, Egypt sent troops to assist a faction in Yemen’s civil war. Eventually, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel united in support of another faction, and the Egyptians were sent packing. During those years, the U.S. consistently supported the cessation of hostilities, although the Soviet Union, Egypt’s then-patron, did support the Egyptians.

More recently, in 2015, Egypt joined an earlier unsuccessful Saudi-led military campaign against the Houthis.

Considering all this, there is really no reason why Egypt isn’t providing substantial forces to join with the Saudis and the non-Houthi Yemeni forces to deal with the threat of the Houthis. The U.S. should strongly pressure Egypt to do so. Doing so would serve the national interests of both countries and fulfill Egypt’s responsibility.

So, once again, what would you say … you do here, President Sisi, when it comes to the Houthi threat that is harming your nation and impeding world trade through the Suez Canal that you are bound by international treaty to help guarantee? Your patron, the U.S., would surely appreciate you moving against the Houthis rather than continuing to violate your other international commitments by threatening another U.S. ally.

And please move quickly, President Sisi. Time is of the essence. 

Adam Turner

Source: https://amgreatness.com/2026/09/18/egypt-should-be-fighting-against-the-houthis-in-yemen/

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