CAIRO (Reuters) - The Egyptian government said on Sunday it had extended by three months the deployment of "some elements of the armed forces" outside Egypt's borders to defend national and Arab security in the Gulf, Red Sea and the Strait of Mandeb.

Egypt, which has one of the region's largest militaries, is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and has said it is participating in the Saudi-led coalition that has been targeting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen with air strikes.

Egypt authorized a 40-day mandate on March 26, which the defense ministry had asked to be renewed before its expiry, the statement from the cabinet said.

The statement did not specify if Egypt's renewed mandate included the possibility of sending ground troops, and Saudi Arabia denied that any major ground operations in Yemen were underway.

The mandate's renewal comes a day after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Saudi Arabia, which alongside Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates has propped up Egypt's economy with billions of dollars in aid.

(Reporting by Shadi Bushra; Editing by Ralph Boulton)