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Saudi, UAE, Qatar close off airspace to Israel for anti-Iran move: Report

Friday, 11 October 2024 8:24 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 11 October 2024 11:06 AM ]

Iranians drive past a massive billboard at Tehran's Enghelab Square with an image depicting a missile attack on Israel and a slogan reading in Farsi: "If you want war, we are masters of war" on October 3, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Several Persian Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, will not allow Israel to use their airspace for any aggression against Iran and have informed the US of this decision, according to a report.

"The Persian Gulf states aren't letting Israel use their airspace. They won't allow Israeli missiles to pass through, and there's also a hope that they won't strike the oil facilities," Reuters reported Thursday.

Citing three sources, the Thursday report said the three aforementioned states are concerned that Iran or resistance groups in the region could target their oil production facilities in retaliation for a potential Israeli strike.

The report comes as the Israeli regime has threatened to attack Iran while Tehran has warned that any assault will provoke an even stronger response.

On October 1, Iran carried out a massive missile attack against Israel, dubbed Operation True Promise 2, in legitimate response to Israel’s barbaric acts of assassination against the resistance front’s top leaders.

During the operation, Iran launched some 200 high-speed ballistic missiles at the Zionist entity’s military and intelligence bases, saying 90 percent of them hit their targets.

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"The Iranians have stated: 'If the Persian Gulf states open up their airspace to Israel, that would be an act of war'," Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Saudi royal court, told Reuters.

The report said the Persian Gulf countries are currently lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran's oil sites.

Saudi Arabia, as a leading oil exporter along with oil-producing neighbors - the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain - has a keen interest in de-escalating the situation, it added.

"We will be in the middle of a missile war. There is serious concern, especially if the Israeli strike targets Iran's oil installations," one of the sources said.

Another source warned of rising oil prices and a global supply problem in the case of an Israeli anti-Iran attack ahead of the US presidential election.

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