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Saudis ‘confirm’ shooting down Iranian drones – media Saudi Arabia denies shooting down Iranian drones destined for Israel
(about 20 hours later)
A royal source in Riyadh has criticized Tehran for “terrorism” Riyadh has refuted Israeli media reports about its alleged participation in repelling Iranian drone and missile attack
Saudi Arabia took part in downing some Iranian UAVs during Saturday’s strike on Israel, a source in the royal family has admitted in response to a report by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan. 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.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Tehran’s attack involved 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. The strikes came in retaliation for the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, that left several senior Iranian military officers dead earlier this month. Saudi Arabia has dismissed reports about its alleged participation in defending Israel from the Iranian strikes over the weekend.
The US, UK, France and Jordan helped the IDF intercept almost all of the incoming projectiles during Saturday’s attack. According to Kan, Saudi Arabia joined in the effort as well. 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.
“A source from the Saudi royal family, who prefers anonymity” has spoken with Kan and “subtly acknowledged” the kingdom’s role, stating that Riyadh’s air defenses automatically intercept “any suspicious entity,” according to the official website of the al-Saud dynasty. “There is no official website that published a statement about Saudi participation in intercepting attacks against Israel,” informed sources told Al Arabiya on Monday.
The same source accused Iran of instigating the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, accusing Tehran of attempting to “unravel the progress” in normalizing relations between Riyadh and West Jerusalem. 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.
“Iran is a nation that endorses terrorism, and the world should have curtailed it much earlier,” the unnamed official told Kan. 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.
The anonymous royal’s statements would represent a shift from recent Saudi rhetoric, which has condemned Israel’s onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza while working to end decades-long enmity with Iran. 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.
The Sunni Muslim kingdom has long been allied with the US and has aided crack downs on Shia Muslims in places like Bahrain and Yemen, believing them to be proxies of the Islamic republic. 
Riyadh and Tehran agreed to restore diplomatic relations in March 2023, in a deal brokered by China. CIA Director William Burns admitted at the time that the US had been “blindsided” by the talks.