Saudi Arabia intercepted Iranian missiles targeting two critical sites in the kingdom Sunday afternoon, the King Khalid International Airport and the Prince Sultan Air Base, which houses American military personnel.
King Khalid International Airport © Mena Today
Saudi Arabia intercepted Iranian missiles targeting two critical sites in the kingdom Sunday afternoon, the King Khalid International Airport and the Prince Sultan Air Base, which houses American military personnel, according to a Gulf source familiar with the matter who spoke to AFP.
The attempted strike on Prince Sultan Air Base marks a deliberate Iranian escalation , a direct targeting of US military assets on Saudi soil.
"Air defenses successfully intercepted Iranian missiles near Riyadh airport and Prince Sultan Air Base Sunday afternoon," the source confirmed, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. No disruption to air navigation was reported, and there were no casualties or material damage.
Notably, this marks Saudi Arabia's first official acknowledgment of Iranian missiles targeting its own territory, after the kingdom's conspicuous silence earlier in the weekend when explosions were first reported over Riyadh.
The confirmation removes any remaining doubt: Iran has directly targeted the Saudi capital and American forces stationed there.
The Gulf is now fully engulfed.
By Turki Al Mutairi
Saudi Arabia and Syria signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries' defense ministries on Wednesday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group continues its missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.
Turkey's parliament is set on Wednesday to ratify a defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that includes a collective defence clause, committing NATO's second-largest army to Riyadh's defence as it faces attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.
Hezbollah on Wednesday rejected accusations that it had dispatched experts to Yemen to fight alongside the Houthis in their war against the internationally recognised government and Saudi Arabia.
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