Saudi Arabia Keen to Avoid Regional Escalation

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister hopes all actors involved in the recent Middle East flare-up take steps to avoid escalation, Bloomberg reported.

“We are very keen that the situation in the region doesn’t escalate any further,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan said at a press conference in Riyadh Monday.

“It’s certainly a very dangerous moment and we have to be conscious of the risks and dangers not just to the region but to wider global security.”

Prince Faisal was speaking days after a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad killed top Iranian and Iraqi commanders, raising prospects of a military confrontation in the Middle East.

The latest development have put Saudi Arabia, long-time U.S. ally, in Iran’s crosshairs, leaving it bracing for retaliation just as it was working to ease tensions after a torrid 2019, France24 adds.

American officials say the kingdom faces a “heightened risk” of drone and missile attacks after the killing in Baghdad last week of powerful Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike.

The assassination has sparked fears of a regional conflagration as Tehran vows to take “severe revenge”, with Saudi Arabia calling it a “very dangerous moment”.

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