Egypt's parliament is expected to vote Monday to authorize the president to deploy troops to neighboring Libya if Turkey-backed forces there, allied with the UN-supported government in Tripoli, move to retake the coastal city of Sirte.
An Egyptian intervention would further destabilize oil-rich Libya, and put two U.S. allies - Turkey and Egypt - in possible direct confrontation.
The vote was initially scheduled for Sunday but was moved to Monday in a closed session, according to lawmaker Mustafa Bakry. The House of Representatives, packed with supporters of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, is highly likely to vote in favor of the deployment.