Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], March 10 (ANI): In a strongly worded statement, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday heavily came down on Iran, noting that the continued attacks represent further escalation and will have significant implications on bilateral ties.

Calling the actions a blatant violation of international charters and law, Saudi Arabia said that it retains the full right to take all measures for safeguarding the country's security, sovereignity and safety of people.

The statement by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's firm condemnation of the Iranian attacks against the Kingdom and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as a number of Arab, Islamic, and friendly countries, which cannot be accepted or justified under any circumstances. The Kingdom affirms that it retains its full right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its security, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents, and to deter aggression.'

It condemned the targeting of civilian objects, airports, and oil facilities, noting that it reflects 'a determination to threaten security and stability' and to persist in blatantly violating international charters and international law.

'With regard to the statement made by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in which he indicated that there are no plans to attack neighboring countries and the decision had been taken by the Leadership Council, the Kingdom affirms that the Iranian side has not reflected that statement in practice, whether during the Iranian President's speech or afterwards, and has continued its attacks based on baseless claims that are not grounded in fact, including allegations that the Kingdom had previously clarified were false, namely the claim that fighter jets and refueling aircraft had departed from the Kingdom to participate in the war, while it was clarified that these aircrafts mission is to conduct air patrols to monitor and protect the airspace of the Kingdom and the GCC states from Iranian missiles and drones', the statement further added.

'The Kingdom also stresses that Iran's current actions toward our countries do not reflect wisdom or serve the interest of avoiding a widening of escalation, in which Iran would be the greatest loser', it said.

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As tensions escalate in the region, the UAE's Ministry of Defence said that the air defences intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, 17 UAVs and on Monday detected 15 ballistic missiles, of which 12 were destroyed, while 3 missiles fell into the sea. It added that a total of 18 UAVs were also detected, with 17 intercepted, while 1 fell within the country's territory.

It further noted, 'Since the start of the Iranian attacks, 253 ballistic missiles have been detected. Of these, 233 were destroyed, 18 fell into the sea, and 2 landed within the country. A total of 1,440 Iranian UAVs have also been detected, of which 1,359 were intercepted, while 81 fell within the country's territory. 8 cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed.'

It added, 'These attacks resulted in 4 deaths among Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationals, and 117 people sustained minor injuries. The injured include nationals of the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, the Comoros, Turkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Jordan and Palestine. The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared to deal with any threats and will respond firmly to any attempts to undermine the country's security, ensuring the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguarding its national interests and capabilities.'

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The statements come amid heightened tensions in West Asia as military operations and retaliatory actions involving Iran, the United States and Israel continue to escalate across the region, following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel on February 28.

The strikes also killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic.

In retaliation, Tehran launched counter-strikes targeting American military bases in multiple Arab countries and Israeli assets across the region. (ANI)