The Egyptian Armed Forces announced the start of Operation Bright Star 2021 on Thursday. According to a video published by Egyptian army spokesman, Col. Arkan Harb Gharib Abdel Hafez, the joint drills are taking place with the participation of 21 other countries from Sept. 2-17.

• Operation Bright Star is the largest set of multinational army maneuvers in the Middle East, which began in 1981 between Egypt and the US. 
• The exercises are usually held in Egypt every two years, but were postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• The first such exercises were held in the year 1980 after signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The last Bright Star exercise was conducted in 2018, with 16 participating nations.