Published date: 20 October 2026 09:01 BST|Last update:5 hours 51 mins ago
As Washington limits its exposure, Cairo risks committing military power without defining its objectives or exit strategy
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo on 15 September 2026 (Ahmed Nureldine/Saudi Press Agency/AFP)
Ships approaching the Suez Canal, the Sumed pipeline, energy terminals and fuel storage facilities: these are among the assets Egypt must consider potentially exposed if it enters direct combat against Yemen’s Houthis.
The consequences could reach far beyond the forces Cairo deploys, threatening the infrastructure through which Egypt earns foreign currency and supplies its economy.
The Houthis would not need to strike the canal itself to undermine its revenues. Threats farther south can deter shipping, raise costs and force vessels onto longer routes. Navigation can remain technically possible while the traffic that gives the waterway its economic value moves elsewhere.
But Cairo must also consider a more serious scenario: direct attacks on vessels or infrastructure serving the canal, potentially forcing a complete suspension of navigation.
This is a risk to assess, rather than an established Houthi plan or a prediction that such an operation would succeed. This could benefit the Houthis and Iran by blocking US and Israeli naval movements from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said while visiting Iran that the country’s fight against the United States was a “just cause.”
Lavrov made the remarks while flanked by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran at a joint press conference.
Lavrov called the U.S. war with Iran an “unprovoked military campaign” and said Russia was committed to supporting the Iranian government.”
He added that Russia was committed to finding an end to the war.
This was Lavrov’s first visit to Iran since the conflict began in February.
“We once again expressed our country’s readiness to assist in finding mutually acceptable solutions to overcome this man-made crisis,” Lavrov said at the press conference, according to Kremlin media.
Lavrov said he visited the country to prevent the return of a large-scale war between the U.S. and Iran and added that Russia would never stop supporting Iran.
“Despite the difficult circumstances, Russia does not intend to abandon the implementation of agreements with Iran in the economic and investment spheres,” Lavrov said.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week waiving sanctions on Russia that were set to take effect under legislation Congress approved with overwhelming bipartisan support
Trump defended the measure as a way to help end Russa’s war with Ukraine and to keep it from assisting Iran.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
