Saudi Arabia: ‘Northern Thunder’ second largest military gathering since Operation Desert Storm

Saudi Arabia has described its joint military drills, dubbed “Northern Thunder”, as the second largest military gathering since Operation Desert Storm, the US-led military operation that expelled Iraqi troops from Kuwait, Anadolu reported.

Peninsula Shield, the official twitter account which covers news about the drills, said on Wednesday: “The participant forces succeeded in mobilising the second largest military gathering for mixed armies in the region since the Desert Storm.”

However, Peninsula Shield did not mention the number of soldiers taking part in the drills. Saudi media has reported that around 150,000 soldiers are taking part from 20 countries.

Saudi news agency SPA has described the drills as the largest in the world in terms of the number of participating forces, as well as the extent of the manoeuvre area.