Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Tuesday praised Saudi Arabia for the establishment of a new "Islamic military alliance" to fight terrorism. "The [Saudi] announcement ... is a historic step in the right way to deal with the political, security and intellectual dilemma, which has become a serious burden on the image of Islamic civilization and threatens Muslims' existence and coexistence among the world's communities," Hariri said in a statement. "Saudi Arabia announced on behalf of the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims ... that the responsibility in the fight against terrorism ... lies with Muslims, their leaders and their states, and the Arabs in the first place, who are subjected to the ugliest racist campaigns," he added. Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that 34 nations have agreed to form a new coalition to fight terrorism with a joint operations center based in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh. The announcement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the Saudi-led alliance is being established because terrorism "should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it." Islam forbids "corruption and destruction in the world," the announcement said, adding that terrorism constitutes "a serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security."