Representative image of Saudi air defence system.
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that three drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering the Kingdom’s airspace from Iraq.
In an official statement on Monday, May 18, Ministry spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the drones were detected on the morning of Sunday, May 17, and were neutralised after crossing into Saudi airspace.
Al-Maliki stated that the Kingdom reserves the right to respond “at the appropriate time and place” to any threat targeting its sovereignty and national security.
He added that the Ministry of Defence would take all necessary operational measures to counter any attempt to undermine the safety of Saudi citizens and residents.
The latest incident comes weeks after Saudi Arabia summoned the Iraqi ambassador over similar security concerns. On April 12, the Saudi Foreign Ministry protested against drone attacks that Riyadh said had been launched from Iraqi territory.
Iraq has remained caught in wider regional tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, with attacks in recent months targeting both US-linked facilities and Iran-backed armed groups.
Iran-aligned militias in Iraq had previously claimed responsibility for attacks on what they described as “enemy bases” in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. The groups later announced a suspension of operations following the temporary ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
This post was last modified on May 18, 2026 6:23 am