Riyadh: Saudi Arabia announced that its air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed multiple drones that were launched from Iraq and aimed at oil facilities in the country’s Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh.

According to Deutsche Welle, the Saudi Defense Ministry identified the drones as being launched by Iran-backed armed groups operating within Iraq. The ministry reported that the attempted attacks were stopped before they could reach their intended targets.

In response to the incident, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a condemnation and emphasized the kingdom’s right to respond to the sources of what it termed as “aggression” and to take necessary actions to deter those responsible.

The Saudi government also urged the Iraqi government to ensure that its territory is not used as a base for launching attacks against Saudi Arabia, stressing that Baghdad must implement all necessary measures to prevent such operations.