RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia said Sunday that troops from 20 countries have gathered in the oil-producing nation for large-scale military exercises. The kingdom announced the exercises through the official Saudi Press Agency, calling them ‘‘the largest and most important’’ military maneuvers in the region’s history.
They will include air, sea, and land forces and are expected to last 18 days. Most participants are Arab and African countries. The exercises do not include the United States or any other Western power.
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition fighting Shi’ite rebels in Yemen and is part of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. It recently said it is willing to send ground troops to Syria.
The Saudi-led coalition said the kingdom shot down a Scud missile fired from Yemen. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, coalition officials said Saudi air defenses intercepted the missile as it headed toward Khamis Mushait. The missile was destroyed without causing ‘‘any losses.’’
Khamis Mushait is home to a major Saudi air base and has been targeted previously.
The coalition is conducting airstrikes and ground operations in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the rebels and loyalists of a former president who control the capital and other parts of the country
Last week, US Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter secured renewed pledges of more airstrikes and special operations forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the fight against the Islamic State.
Carter said the two countries promised to restart stalled air campaigns against the Islamic State and send special forces to Syria to assist local fighters on the ground. He did not say when the extra troops would arrive, and the Arab allies did not specify any numbers.
A small contingent of US special forces is advising forces in northern Syria. It is unclear if the Saudi and UAE forces would be working them.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the leading Arab backers of rebel forces seeking to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose forces have made recent gains with aid from Russian airstrikes. It was not clear whether their pledge to boost their roles in the Islamic State fight will also include parallel assistance to Syrian opposition groups.
The UAE is involved in the Saudi-led war in Yemen seeking to restore an ousted leader friendly to Riyadh.
Carter noted Saudi Arabia and the UAE play ‘‘an important role in countering the message’’ of the Islamic State.
After meetings last week, nearly all 28 countries in the US-led coalition pledged a broad range of additional assets after the United States called for more contributions in the almost two-year old war against the Islamic State group.
