Saudi Arabia destroys 20 drones entering its airspace

Saudi Arabia said Friday that it intercepted and destroyed 20 drones that entered the country's airspace overnight.

The Defense Ministry said in separate statements on the US social media company X’s platform that 19 drones were intercepted in the eastern regions and one in the Al-Jawf region.

The announcement came as a regional escalation has continued to flare since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Thursday that Iran was miscalculating if it believed Gulf states were incapable of responding to its actions. He said Iranian attacks on Gulf countries would bring Tehran no gains and would instead deepen its isolation, adding that trust with Iran had collapsed due to repeated attacks on Gulf states and violations of the principles of good neighborliness.