Saudi Arabia denies shooting down Iranian drones destined for Israel
Correction: A previous version of this article was based on a report by Israeli public broadcaster Kan and contained a link to a site posing as an official website of the Saudi royal family. The article has been amended to remove this link and to clarify the official position of the government of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has dismissed reports about its alleged participation in defending Israel from the Iranian strikes over the weekend.
The claims were originally circulated by Israeli public broadcaster Kan and a fake website purporting to be an official outlet of the Saudi royal family. Riyadh, however, has reportedly said no official websites provided such information and the country did not participate in the interception of the drones and missiles launched by Tehran.
“There is no official website that published a statement about Saudi participation in intercepting attacks against Israel,” informed sources told Al Arabiya on Monday.
According to the claims circulated by the fake website, “a source from the Saudi royal family, who prefers anonymity,” in their response to a report by Kan, had “subtly acknowledged” the kingdom’s participation in repelling the Iranian attack.
The ‘source’ also bluntly accused Tehran of instigating the conflict in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, claiming it was a “deliberate attempt to unravel the progress” in repairing ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Iran launched a major attack on Israel over the weekend, using kamikaze drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, and citing a recent deadly strike on its consulate in Syria, widely attributed to West Jerusalem. Israel and its allies have insisted the strike was successfully repelled, with a majority of incoming projectiles shot down before even reaching the country’s airspace by US and UK fighter jets.
