Cairo

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that the Egyptian army is one of strongest in the region but it is "a rational army," the Egyptian presidency said.

Sisi's remarks came during his inspection visit to the air forces combat units in the Western Military Zone, accompanied by the defence minister and the chief of staff, said Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady in a statement on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Egyptian president said that the Egyptian army "protects rather than threatens," stressing that it is able to protect the country's national security inside and outside the Egyptian borders, according to the statement.

Egypt's Western Military Zone includes the borders with neighbouring war-torn Libya, which has been mired in a civil war since late 2014.