ISTANBUL

US political commentator and journalist Tucker Carlson claimed on Monday that Saudi Arabia and Qatar had apprehended and “arrested Israeli Mossad agents planning bombings in those countries.”

“Why would the Israelis be committing bombings in Gulf countries, which are also being attacked by Iran?” Carlson said on his show.

“Aren’t they on the same side?”

“Israel wants to hurt Iran - and Qatar, and the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, and Oman and Kuwait,” he added.

Carlson also claimed that Israel intentionally foments instability among the US' Arab allies.

The recent comments come as the US and Israel continue their military strikes on Iran, following a joint operation on Saturday that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking officials. Iran said schools and hospitals have also been targeted, killing hundreds of civilians.

In the opening wave of attacks, about 163 girls were killed when a school in southern Iran was struck.

Tehran responded by targeting Israel, as well as American military assets across the region, disrupting commercial travel, disrupting oil routes, and sending global energy prices higher.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck more than 500 US and Israeli locations using 700 drones along with hundreds of missiles.

On Monday, a drone strike sparked what was described as a “limited fire” at Saudi Aramco’s oil refinery in Ras Tanura.

Iranian Foreign Ministry said it was not responsible for targeting Saudi Aramco’s oil refinery, and claimed instead that Israel and the US have been carrying out drone attacks from bases in Arab countries.

Tehran accused them of trying to provoke Arab states into attacking Iran and sparking a wider conflict across the Muslim world.