Saudi Arabia defended Israel from incoming Iranian missiles – report

Source from Saudi royal family tells Israeli media the kingdom aided efforts by US, Israel, and moderate Arab states to intercept Iranian missiles and war drones.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Saudi Arabia took part in efforts to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and attack drones launched towards Israel over the weekend, a source within the Saudi royal family claimed.

According to Israel’s Kan media outlet and the official website of the House of Saud – the ruling dynasty of the oil-rich kingdom – a source from the royal family spoke on condition of anonymity regarding Riyadh’s involvement in the interception of Israel-bound missiles and drones launched by Iran over the weekend.

On Saturday, Iranian forces launched some 300 missiles and war drones, the first time Tehran has carried out a direct attack on Israel from Iranian territory.

According to Israel’s top military spokesman, over 99% of the missiles and drones were intercepted and failed to reach their targets inside Israel.

Western powers, including the U.S., France, and Britain, worked in conjunction with Jordan’s military to intercept the projectiles en route to Israel Saturday and early Sunday morning.

The source cited by Kan and the House of Saud’s website hinted that the Saudi military also shot down incoming projectiles, noting that the country automatically intercepts “any suspicious entity” which enters Saudi airspace.

The Saudi source also lambasted Iran, accusing it of orchestrating the October 7th invasion of Israel in a bid to torpedo normalization talks between Riyadh and Jerusalem.

“Iran is a nation that endorses terrorism, and the world should have curtailed it much earlier,” the source said.

The Saudi royal family’s website did not deny the source’s claims, stating only that the “individual subtly acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s supposed involvement in thwarting Iranian attack drones bound for Israel the previous evening.”

The combination missile and drone attacks caused minor damage to an Israeli military base, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, and left a seven-year-old Bedouin girl seriously injured.