An air defence system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Iran on Thursday, Greece's defence minister said.
Greece has deployed a U.S.-made Patriot air defense battery, operated by Greek personnel, in Saudi Arabia since 2021 © Mena Today
An air defence system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Iran on Thursday, Greece's defence minister said.
Nikos Dendias said a Greek-operated Patriot air defence system had intercepted Iranian missiles targeting oil refineries in Saudi Arabia, without specifying where in the kingdom.
"The protection of refineries and oil units is of great importance," he said in a televised statement.
Greece has deployed a U.S.-made Patriot air defense battery, operated by Greek personnel, in Saudi Arabia since 2021 under an agreement to help protect the kingdom's energy infrastructure.
Thursday's interception was the first time that Greek personnel had operated the system, a Greek defence ministry official told Reuters.
Other outside states have also offered assistance in defending the Gulf against Iranian attacks launched in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28.
France has assisted the United Arab Emirates in defending against Iranian attacks, under a longstanding defence agreement between the two countries. Australia has also said it would send a surveillance aircraft and missiles to help bolster UAE defences.
Earlier on Thursday, Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that a ballistic missile targeting the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, where there is an oil refinery, had been intercepted.
It was unclear whether the missile was one of those intercepted by the Greek-operated system.
By Lefteris Papadimas
Jordan's air defense systems intercepted and shot down three Iranian missiles that entered the country's airspace early Friday, a military source at the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces–Arab Army said.
Iran said it launched fresh strikes on U.S. facilities in the Middle East on Friday, including the first direct attack in Syria, after a sixth straight night of U.S. strikes on Iranian military facilities.
Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that all Saudi oil and other vital facilities would be targets for the group's missiles and drones if Riyadh escalated its involvement in the conflict.
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