Saudi forces in Jordan for large-scale military exercises with 33 countries
Eager Lion drills aimed at confronting ‘emerging and cross-border threats’
Saudi forces went into action in Jordan on Sunday at the launch of the Eager Lion military exercises, with ground, naval and air forces from 33 countries including the US, France and Britain.
The drills, set to end on May 23, include anti-terrorism and air defense training, army spokesman Col. Mustafa Al-Hiyari said. “Eager Lion is intended to help fight terrorist organizations” and respond to the proliferation of drones and biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction, as well as major disaster,” he said.
Forces from 10 Arab and 22 foreign countries in addition to Jordan were taking part, Hiyari said, aiming “to confront the emerging and cross-border threats of this era.”
The exercise was the largest since the first Eager Lion in 2011, he said.
It comes at a time of soaring regional tensions as the IsraelHamas war rages in the Gaza Strip, but Al-Hiyari said the drills had “nothing to do with regional developments.”
The countries participating include Poland, Norway,
Romania, Japan and Australia alongside several Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Lebanon. The previous Eager Lion exercise in September 2022 included about 2,200 Jordanian soldiers, 1,700 from the US and 400 more from 27 other countries. Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 and is a key regional ally for Washington.