Egypt's parliament delayed a vote on Friday that would authorise President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to respond to any request from Saudi Arabia for defence assistance. The vote on sending troops abroad, which requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority under the constitution, has been postponed until October 26.
The call for support follows attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Riyadh's international airport and Saudi Aramco facilities. Saudi authorities said 13 people were killed in the October 10 airport attack.
El-Sisi said on Saturday that Egypt would take "any measure" needed to protect Gulf allies, adding: "I'm not talking about confronting or attacking anyone. We're talking only about defence." The National Defence Council, chaired by el-Sisi, gave its approval on Sunday.
The opposition Egyptian Social Democratic Party, which holds nearly a dozen seats, said it had instructed its lawmakers to abstain. The party argued that parliament had not been given enough information about the mission's objectives, duration, cost, or risks to troops. However, two party MPs told AFP that most of its lawmakers support the measure.
The Grand Imam of al-Azhar urged Arab and Muslim leaders to mediate and avert further bloodshed.
Saudi Arabia plays a key role in shoring up Egypt's struggling economy. It is due to deposit $5.3 billion into Egypt's central bank this month, plus interest. Egypt's EGX30 stock index fell on Monday morning over military concerns but recovered to close 0.4 percent higher. Analyst Nematallah Choucri told Reuters that geopolitical developments are the main driver of recent market losses.
Political analyst Thomas Bonnie James told Al Jazeera that the Houthi threat to Saudi Arabia also endangers the Suez Canal, which Egypt's foreign minister says has lost about $11 billion since Houthi attacks in the Bab al-Mandeb strait began. James added that Egypt does not want to be seen as the regional ally that "stood aside while others defended the kingdom."
Turkey and Pakistan have made their own pledges under the Mecca defence pact activated in August.