Iran denies responsibility for drone attack on Saudi Arabia

ISTANBUL

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday denied any responsibility for a drone strike targeting the Saudi capital Riyadh and the country’s eastern region, calling on Saudi Arabia to investigate the source of the attack.

On Saturday, Saudi authorities said that 13 drones were intercepted and destroyed over Riyadh and the Eastern Province, without giving details about the origin of the attack or whether the strike caused any damage or casualties.

“Iran has no link to this attack, and the Saudi government should investigate the source of these attacks,” the IRGC said in a statement.

On Saturday, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified combatant command headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, accused the US and Israel of carrying out attacks on what he described as “illegitimate targets” in regional countries using drones resembling Iran’s Shahed-136 drone.

Since Feb. 28, the US and Israel have been carrying out military attacks on Iran that have killed more than 1,200 people, including Iran’s then–Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military officials.

Tehran has responded with missile and drone strikes toward Israel, Iraq and Gulf countries home to US military assets. Some of these attacks have caused casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including airports, ports and buildings.

*Writing by Khaled Badr