Egypt's Sisi to host Saudi crown prince on Tuesday: presidency

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is set to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Egypt on Tuesday, the presidency said, against the backdrop of fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's Riyadh-backed government.

The presidency said there would be "a bilateral meeting between the two leaders".

The visit comes after a week-long Houthi offensive that culminated in the Iran-backed group capturing Yemen's Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which Saudi oil transits.

Houthi attacks on oil infrastructure and Saudi tankers are piling pressure on the world's top oil exporter.

Mirette Mabrouk of the Washington-based Middle East Institute said the Saudi crown prince -- the kingdom's de facto ruler -- is "definitely doing outreach" to address the Houthi threat and may be seeking backing from regional partners.

"MBS is looking for assurances that if necessary, Egypt will step up to protect Bab al-Mandab," she told AFP.

"I think it is quite clear that the region cannot depend on the US security umbrella at all," she added.

"So, I think in light of that, there will be renewed regional efforts to try and sort things out with Iran."

The Bab al-Mandab waterway has become essential for Saudi oil exports, with Iran continuing to block the Hormuz strait as part of the Middle East war, but the Houthis have declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh.

Saudi crude shipments from the Red Sea port of Yanbu surged after the regional conflict began, averaging around 3.8 million barrels per day between March and July -- about five times their pre-war level -- commodities data firm Kpler estimated.

But shipments fell sharply to 1.5 million barrels per day in August, after the Houthis began attacking Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.