Riyadh condemn Iran's missile attack on US in Iraq

By Rabie Abu Zamil

RIYADH (AA) - Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned the Iranian missile attack on two military bases that host U.S. forces in Iraq.

It said it considers the attack a "violation" of Iraq's sovereignty.

"Saudi Arabia deplores the Iranian attack on two Iraqi military bases in which the international coalition forces are present to fight ISIS [Daesh terror group]," Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Riyadh called for avoiding any kind of escalation to maintain the security and stability of Iraq and the region.

The tensions in the region have run high since the killing of an Iranian top general in a U.S. airstrike.

Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, and nine others, including Abu-Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi group, were killed Jan. 3 near Baghdad International Airport.

Iran targeted U.S. forces in Iraq on Wednesday by attacking military bases with ballistic missiles, a move condemned by British officials, including President Boris Johnson.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara