▲ Smoke rises from a Saudi oil facility targeted by a drone attack (The photo above is not directly related to the article.)
Saudi Arabia announced that it has successfully intercepted and destroyed a series of drone attacks originating from Iraq, pointing the finger at Iran-backed militias as the culprits behind the strike.
Turki al-Maliki, a spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Defense, stated on the social media platform X on the 27th local time that "over the past few hours, our air defense systems have been activated to intercept and destroy multiple unmanned aerial vehicles targeting oil facilities in the Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh."
Al-Maliki explained that "the drones used in this terrorist attempt were launched from Iraqi territory and operated by terrorist militias backed by Iran."
Warning of consequences, al-Maliki said, "Saudi Arabia possesses the legitimate and rightful authority to defend its nation and national assets," adding, "We reserve the right to take proportionate response measures at an appropriate time and place."
In a statement released through Saudi state television, the Saudi side urged, "The Iraqi government must take all necessary measures to prevent its territory from being utilized as a launchpad for attacks."
Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have been engaged in armed conflict with Saudi Arabia, claimed on the same day that they struck a number of major crude oil supply and transportation facilities connecting Saudi Arabia's eastern region with the Red Sea coastal city of Yanbu.
Yahya Sarea, the military spokesperson for the Houthi rebels, stated, "This military operation was a retaliatory response to Saudi drones violating Yemeni airspace."
(Photo: Getty Images)
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