The two leaders stressed the need to guarantee safe navigation through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during talks in Cairo on Tuesday, according to Egypt’s presidency.
Reuters reported that Sisi also backed measures taken by Saudi Arabia to protect its security and supported efforts to reach a lasting political settlement in Yemen.
The discussions followed a rapid advance by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis along the country’s western coast and a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia.
The Bab el-Mandeb sits between Yemen and the African countries of Djibouti and Eritrea. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and forms part of the shortest maritime route between Asia and Europe.
An estimated 12% of global trade passes through the Red Sea corridor. Ships unable to use it must travel around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, adding time, fuel and insurance costs to international journeys.
Egypt’s Suez recovery faces another threat
The security of the southern Red Sea is particularly important to Egypt because vessels must pass through Bab el-Mandeb before reaching the Suez Canal from Asia.
The canal is one of Egypt’s most important sources of foreign currency, alongside tourism, exports and remittances from Egyptians living abroad.
Houthi attacks beginning in late 2023 caused shipping companies to divert vessels around Africa. Sisi said in March 2025 that the disruption was costing Egypt approximately $800 million every month, after the country lost an estimated $7 billion in canal revenue during 2024.
Suez Canal revenue subsequently recovered by 23% to approximately $4.67 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year, but remained well below the record $8.75 billion generated in 2022/2023.
Renewed fighting around Bab el-Mandeb could reverse that recovery just as some international shipping companies begin returning vessels to the Red Sea.
Houthi advance raises pressure on Saudi Arabia
The Houthis have captured positions along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including strategically located islands close to the entrance of Bab el-Mandeb.
The group has also renewed attacks against Saudi targets. Thirteen civilians were reportedly injured after missiles and drones struck areas around the Khamis Mushait military airbase in southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s vulnerability has increased following a separate attack that forced the closure of its East-West oil pipeline. The 1,200-kilometre pipeline carries crude from fields near the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing the country to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
With shipping through Hormuz already heavily disrupted, any serious obstruction at Bab el-Mandeb would threaten both of the principal maritime routes used to transport Gulf oil to international markets.