The United States plans to sell Egypt Hellfire II missiles to support it in its fight against terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula, local media reported on Saturday.

The U.S. State Department had notified Congress about a potential Hellfire deal with Egypt, the official Egyptian news agency said.

It quoted State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke as saying that the deal had not been hammered yet.

Rathke added that it was still early to announce the date of delivering the missiles to Egypt.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on its website that Egypt had submitted a request for procuring 356 AGM-114K/R3 Hellfire II missiles.

It added that the projected cost of the deal was $57 million.

The agency noted that the deal would help "improve the security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East."

The American website Defense News, meanwhile, made links between the deal and Egypt's participation in a Saudi-led campaign against the positions of the Shiite Houthi group in Yemen.

The website published a report about the deal with the headline "Egypt Hellfire Buy OK'd Amidst Yemen Strikes."

It said the sale comes as Egypt took part in anti-militant operations in Yemen, which the U.S. was indirectly aiding with logistical support.

The website also referred to media reports, quoting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying that the U.S. would speed up weapon procurement for those nations acting in Yemen.

An Egyptian retired general, meanwhile, ruled out the possibility that the missiles would be used in the fight against terrorism at the domestic level.

Safwat al-Zayat said the deal was most likely linked with the crisis in Yemen, especially when it came to the potential involvement of Egyptian ground troops in the country.