Egyptian government approved Sunday defense ministry request to extend for another three months the army deployment in the Gulf and Bab Al Mandab Strait, Sky News Arabiya reported. "The government accepted the ministerial request to extend the military mandate of some Egyptian armed forces in the Gulf area, Red Sea and Strait of Mandab for another three months or until the end of the Saudi-led operation in Yemen, whichever comes first," a statement from the cabinet said. This extension is based on the presidential decree issued on March 26 that naval and air military units will be sent to the Red Sea for 40 days as part of the "Storm of Resolve" military operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the statement added. President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi asserted in a televised speech at the time that the Egyptian armed forces will always defend Egyptian and Arab national security.