Egypt's armed forces have begun a series of military drills with Saudi counterparts in southern Egypt, Egypt's military spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Tabuk 4 exercises are taking place in Egypt’s southern military zone, headquartered in Assiut, and involves land forces from both countries.

The drills, which will feature theoretical and practical seminars on combat skills and a military equipment exhibition, aim to "develop and strengthen military cooperation between the Egyptian armed forces and their Saudi counterparts," Egyptian military spokesman Tamer El-Refaie said in a statement.

It is the latest in a series of exercises between the two countries as part of efforts to develop "joint action in light of current challenges in the region," according to the statement.

Saudi Arabia, one of Egypt's closest regional allies, was one of a number of countries taking part last month in the Egyptian-US Bright Star military training exercises in Egypt, the largest of their kind in the region.

In August, Saudi Arabia took part in joint military training, Eagle Response 2018, involving Egypt, the UAE, and the US, which was held in Egyptian territorial waters in the Red Sea.

The two countries also held the Morgan joint naval exercises in 2015 in the Red Sea, the Faisal air military training exercies in September 2017, and the Gulf Shield drills in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.