Egypt's parliament put off a decision on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's request to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia if the kingdom asks, AFP and Reuters reported on Monday. AFP said House Speaker Hisham Badawi adjourned a second session and that discussions are set to resume on October 26, citing state-run Al-Akhbar. Reuters said the parliament is expected to vote next week on whether to authorise the armed forces to help defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks if Riyadh requests support.

According to AFP, two lawmakers said most parliamentarians support the proposal and that the pause was meant to let more members speak. The opposition Egyptian Social Democratic Party, with about a dozen seats, instructed its bloc to abstain from voting and wants clear objectives, scope and duration for any deployment, AFP reported.

Neither AFP nor Reuters reports a public Saudi request for Egyptian troops. Reuters said Saudi Arabia has a $5.3 billion deposit at Egypt's central bank due this month, plus about $267 million in interest. When Saudi Arabia signed a joint defence agreement with Turkey and Pakistan in August, Egypt did not join, Reuters reported.

Sisi convened the sessions after asking lawmakers to approve support for Saudi Arabia if requested, as the kingdom faces near-daily Houthi attacks from Yemen, AFP reported. H. A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute said Egyptian authorities "can't be on the sidelines about this indefinitely," according to Reuters. Egyptian researcher Sherif Aref linked the move to Egyptian national security, Reuters reported.

What we know: Egypt's parliament adjourned without a vote and is due to resume the Saudi support debate next week, with October 26 cited by AFP.
What we don't: Whether Saudi Arabia will formally ask for Egyptian forces, or what form any support would take.