Egypt welcomed on Wednesday delegations from a number of Arab countries for a major joint Arab military exercise set to take place from 3 to 16 November at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base in Egypt's northwestern governorate of Marsa Matrouh, according to a statement by Armed Forces spokesperson Tamer El-Refai.

 'Arab Shield 1' will involve land, naval and air, special forces, and air-defence exercises.

El-Refai said that eight Arab countries are participating in the drills including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, with Morocco and Lebanon as observers.

"The exercise comes in the framework of strengthening joint military cooperation between Egypt and Arab countries to build the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces and achieve common objectives," the Armed Forces spokesperson said.

"The drill comes as part of the joint training plan carried out by the Egyptian Armed Forces with many other countries to develop military relations, face common challenges and support efforts for security and stability in the region," the statement said.