Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince will meet with Egypt’s President today

Egypt’s presidential office announced that Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the president, will host Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, on Tuesday.

The meeting will take place as clashes continue between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.

The Egyptian presidential office said the two sides will hold bilateral meetings during this trip.

The trip comes after a week of offensive operations by the Houthis; operations that ended with the seizure of Yemen’s coasts in the Red Sea and with the group’s control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait being consolidated; the waterway through which Saudi oil passes.

According to the Qatari outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Egypt had previously rejected the Houthis’ proposal to hold direct talks with the aim of coordinating regarding maritime traffic in this waterway and in the Red Sea. These two waterways also play a very important role in Egypt’s economy.