Egypt confirms the forces in Saudi Arabia; Its aircraft and air defenses helped against Yemen's drones, Egypt was the first foreign buyer of Germany's IRIS-T SL air defense system, designed to intercept short- and medium-range stealth cruise missiles. The current version has a range of 45 km, while 80 and 120 km versions designed for hypersonic missiles are under development. Egypt has previously expressed interest in joining the Mecca Alliance, which was formed after the American defense of the Persian Gulf states against Iranian attacks was unsuccessful, with the aim of creating an Islamic alliance against Iran.