ISTANBUL

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it shot down a cruise missile "in the past few hours" amid the ongoing regional escalation.

The cruise missile was intercepted and destroyed, the Saudi Defense Ministry said through US social media company X, citing a spokesperson.

The incident comes as hostilities in the region have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing over 1,340 people to date, including the then-supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. Iran has also restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.