ISIS Vows War Against Saudi Arabia: Islamic State Group Threatens Arab Monarchy After Announcement Of Anti-Terror Coalition

The Islamic State group released videos this week calling for attacks against Saudi Arabia and vowing war against the Arab monarchy after it announced the formation of a 34-member Muslim coalition to combat terrorism. In a new execution video, fighters accuse the Saudi kingdom of joining a coalition of "crusaders" and challenge the nation to send troops into Syria to fight them, various outlets reported Friday.

One of the videos shows a fighter encouraging the beheading of Shiite citizens in Saudi Arabia, followed by the gruesome execution of an alleged Saudi spy. The video flashes to scenes of galloping horses and gun battles. The video is emblazened with the logo of the terrorist organization, aka ISIS, and SITE Intelligence Group has verified the video, Newsweek reported.

The videos come just days after Saudi Arabia announced a coalition aimed at combating extremist groups like ISIS. Saudi Arabia has taken the lead in the coalition, but countries from Africa, the Middle East and Asia have joined in. A joint operations center that will help coordinate and support the coalition is to be based in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

The countries that have joined the coalition include Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and others. Iran, a Shiite country and longtime rival of Saudi Arabia, was not named as part of the coalition. Iran is also involved in the fight against ISIS in an attempt to bolster the embattled Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

Saudi Arabia, where Islam’s holiest site sits, has for decades been declared an enemy by extremist Muslim groups. They have criticized the Saudi monarchy for its closeness with the West and its purported corruption.

Saudi Arabia is considered a key ally of the U.S. in the region and has supported a U.S.-led campaign against ISIS. The country itself has been the site of several terrorist attacks by ISIS sympathizers, and the government has sought to crack down on domestic support for the group. Last month, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman called on the world to “rid the world of its evil” in the fight against terrorism, and announced a more than $100 million donation to an international intelligence hub for information and research on terrorism.