Drone Strike Targets Saudi East-West Pipeline from Iraqi Territory, Prompting Border Closures and High-Level Diplomatic Contacts
RIYADH ; The drone strike was initiated from Iraqi soil and hit the Saudi East-West pipeline, causing several casualties and sparking a significant diplomatic incident in the area.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the drone attacks damaged material properties and injured a number of people in close proximity to the Saudi city of Riyadh and the holy city of Medina.
Saudi Stance and Prime Minister of Iraq’s Action.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed that the Kingdom has the full right to undertake any necessary defense measures to protect its national security and vital infrastructure. But the Iraqi prime minister is said to have asked Riyadh to be wary and withhold retaliatory measures.
Prime Minister pledged that initial investigations have confirmed that Iraqi soil was used for the attack. In quick reaction, the Iraqi leader replaced a high-ranking military commander and closed the Shalamcheh border crossing, connected with Iran, immediately. The decision to withhold retaliatory action to the Iraqi government was welcomed by the Iraqi government, which restated that any act that poses a threat to Saudi security and regional stability is unacceptable.
High-Level Diplomatic Contacts
Following the incident, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein spoke by phone with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
In the course of the dialogue, both Foreign Ministers discussed the current state of the regional security situation and agreed to work hard to ensure that tensions were de-escalated through increased cooperation, communication and mutual consultations.