Madinah’s ‘capital of Islamic tourism’ performance dazzles crowd

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Sunday expressed deep concern over the military escalation in the Middle East and urged all parties involved to exercise restraint, the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of "serious repercussions" on the region and its peoples from the dangers of a wider war, according to SPA.

Iran on Saturday launched drones and missiles against Israel, making good its threat to retaliate against the Israeli air strike that destroyed an Iranian embassy annex building in Damascus, Syria, killing at least 13 people, including two generals of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard.

The Saudi ministry "affirmed the Kingdom’s position calling for the need for the Security Council to assume its responsibility towards maintaining international peace and security, especially in this region that is extremely sensitive to global peace and security, and to prevent the escalation of the crisis that will have serious consequences if it expands," said the SPA report. 

The Iranian Army Chief Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi says the country will not hesitate to give a “stormy and unified” response to any act of aggression against it.

In a Monday message marking the National Army Day, Mousavi said great defensive measures of the country’s Army and Armed Forces have resulted in strong deterrent power.

Iran has conveyed its message of power to the world in a way that the world has realized that the Iranian Armed Forces will give a “stormy and unified” response to any aggression against the country’s national interests, borders and security, he added.

The top commander noted that Iran’s firm response to an act of aggression by the usurping Israeli enemy against its diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital of Damascus brought joy to oppressed nations, especially the resilient people of Palestine and Gaza.

Mousavi emphasized that the retaliatory strikes, dubbed Operation True Promise, revealed only a part of the capacity and strong will of the Iranian Armed Forces and were carried out in cooperation among the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division, the Army, and the Defense Ministry.

He said the Army has played a key role in strengthening the country’s defense power, independence and lasting security by implementing various measures.

It has constructed strategic drone and underground tactical bases and made hundreds of modern defense achievements in the land, air, sea and space sectors in addition to advancing in the fields of science and technology, he explained.

Now the enemies lack the courage to carry out any act of aggression against the Islamic establishment and the noble Iranian nation, the top commander said.

He added that Iran has staged several joint military drills to enhance national security and dignity.

The Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus killed two generals of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, as well as five of their accompanying officers.

In response, on Saturday night, the IRGC targeted the Israeli-occupied territories with a barrage of drones and missiles. The extent of the damage on Israeli military bases across the occupied territories is yet to be specified.

Following the reprisal, Iran warned Israel against taking any retaliatory actions and also urged the US to try not to involve itself in the conflict and signaled that it viewed the matter as “concluded.”

Iraqi resistance forces have targeted Haifa Airport in the northwestern part of the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories in retaliation for the Tel Aviv regime’s war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, in a brief statement claimed responsibility for the early Wednesday drone strike against the facility.

The coalition said the airport came under attack by armed unmanned aerial vehicles.

It noted that that the attack “falls within the framework of the second phase of operations against the occupying Israeli regime. It was conducted in support of Palestinians in Gaza, and in retaliation for the Zionist entity’s massacres against defenseless Palestinian civilians.”

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq underscored it would continue to “destroy the enemy’s strongholds.”

Separately, the sound of explosions was heard close to Ovda Airbase, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base located around 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) north of Eilat, Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news channel reported.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out numerous attacks on Israeli targets since the start of a genocidal war on Gaza by the occupying regime in early October.

Israel unleashed its war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime has enforced a “total siege” on the territory, severing the supply of fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians residing there.

The Israeli war has resulted in the death of 32,916 Palestinian lives and left another 75,494 wounded, painting a grim picture of the situation.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has also struck major American military bases in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for Washington’s singled out support for the bloody Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip, and in a show of strong solidarity with Palestinians.