Forty Egyptians are scheduled to land in Cairo on Sunday from conflict-ridden Yemen, as Egypt is continuing its efforts in the ongoing Saudi-led military operation against Houthi rebels. Houthi fighters have taken over several cities in Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, a development which prompted Saudi Arabia and regional allies in late March to carry out airstrikes against them to halt their advance. The Egyptians left Yemen onboard an Indian ship which took them to Djibouti on Saturday, Egypt's Ambassador to Djibouti Khaled Taha told Al-Ahram Arabic news website. On Wednesday, Egypt's foreign ministry said it had created exit plans for nationals in Yemen "through neighbouring countries and seaports." Egypt has sent naval and air forces to support the offensive but has not ruled out the possibility of deploying ground forces if needed. Egypt has raised concern of possible adverse repercussions in the Bab El-Mandab strait which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Any blockage to the traffic in the strait will have a direct effect on the trade in Egypt's strategic Suez Canal, one of the country's main sources of income. "Our benefit is in the security and stability of the Arab countries, and the whole world if possible," President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in a speech on Saturday. "We will not let down our brotherly Gulf countries." Oil-rich Gulf countries have pledged at least $50 billion in aid and investments to Egypt since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Ahram Online
