Iran live updates: Egypt confirms Mediterranean port fire was caused by drone

Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries agreed on Thursday to establish a multinational maritime defense alliance aimed at "enhancing maritime security, protecting freedom of navigation, securing international trade and energy supply routes, and safeguarding shared maritime interests" in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Saudi defense ministry said.

The announcement came after Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting on Thursday with representatives of 43 countries and the European Union to discuss its proposal to establish the coalition.

Saudi Arabia is set to be the founding and leading country and will host the coalition’s headquarters, the Saudi ministry said.

The 13 countries joining the coalition are Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.

-ABC News' Ayat Altawy

The Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement that its air defenses shot down five missiles launched from Iran early on Thursday morning.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy, Ghazi Balkiz and Clark Bentson

The Egyptian cabinet confirmed in a statement posted to social media on Thursday that Wednesday's fire at the Damietta Port in the north east of the country was caused by a drone, though did not say who was responsible.

"The preliminary investigations into the incident" indicated that the fire was caused by a drone, the statement said. "No party has announced its responsibility for the incident," it added.

The fire at the port, which sits along the Mediterranean coast, affected two ships -- a storage tanker and a vessel used to turn liquid fuel into gas -- Egyptian authorities said.

"The relevant authorities continue to conduct investigations to determine the circumstances of the incident and take the necessary measures to protect Egypt's interests and national security," the cabinet statement said.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy

Kuwait's Army headquarters said in a post to X on Thursday morning that an Iranian strike targeted a building belonging to a Chinese company in the north of the Gulf nation, killing one worker and causing significant damage to the facility. The headquarters did not name the company.