RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has formed a coalition of 34 mainly Muslim countries – including powers such as Egypt and Turkey – to coordinate a fight against “terrorist organizations.”

But some supposed members of the coalition said they were surprised by their inclusion. Officials in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia all said they had not formally agreed to join the alliance.

The alliance was announced by Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s defense minister and deputy crown prince, on Tuesday.

Arab countries such as Qatar and the UAE will join the coalition, as well as Middle Eastern, Asian and African states including Pakistan, Malaysia, and Nigeria.

“It is time that the Islamic world take a stand, and they have done that by creating a coalition to push back and confront the terrorists and those who promote their violent ideologies,” said Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi’s foreign minister, speaking in Paris. 

When asked if the alliance would deploy troops on the ground, Jubeir said “nothing is off the table”.

Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran and its allies, Syria and Iraq, were excluded from the alliance, despite the states sharing a common enemy in ISIS.

Hezbollah said on Thursday that a Saudi-led 34-nation anti-Islamic State coalition announced this week had been formed “in a suspicious way” and it questioned Saudi Arabia’s competence to lead it.

Hezbollah, which has repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia over its military operations in Yemen, questioned Saudis’ ability to lead the alliance. 

“The formation of this coalition is something that was hastily done and in a suspicious way which raises many questions,” Hezbollah said in a statement. “On top of this, there is the question about the extent of competence of the Saudis to lead a coalition against terrorism.”