ANKARA

Saudi Arabia shot down nine drones that entered its airspace, the Defense Ministry said early Wednesday.

The drones were immediately intercepted and destroyed, the ministry said in a post on the US social media company X’s platform.

Tensions have escalated across the region since the US and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on Saturday, killing nearly 800 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top military officials.

Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries, which are home to US military assets.