News- Middle East: Saudi Arabia, which professed a public stance against Israel's attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, secretly participated in intercepting Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles during the 12-day US-supported Israeli aggression, media reports say.

According to reports, the Saudi air force scrambled helicopters to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles crossing airspace over Iraq and Jordan, halting their advance before they could reach Israel.

Some of these drones could have continued toward Israel, but they were intercepted early as part of protecting Saudi Arabia's space.

While Riyadh hasn't officially confirmed involvement in the interceptions and even condemned Israel for launching the aggression against Iran, the revelations point to a dramatically growing secret Saudi cooperation with the US-led hostile powers towards Iran.

This comes as senior officials in Riyadh earlier stressed that Saudi airspace would not be opened for any offensive strikes on Iranian territory.

Saudi Arabia was one of dozens of Muslim-majority nations that condemned the Israeli action against Iran.

The interception of Iranian drones was part of a vast US-led operation involving Jordan, Britain, France, and the United States, coordinated under the umbrella of US Central Command (CENTCOM).

At the heart of that coordination stood CENTCOM commander Gen. Mike Kurilla, who oversaw a joint American command-and-control center linking the US, Israel, and European militaries in real time.

Years of joint training exercises and intelligence-sharing paved the way for this rapid, integrated response, military sources said.

Jordan, unlike others, has publicly acknowledged its role in intercepting Iranian drones. France described its participation as defending its interests in Jordan, though it avoided directly referencing Israel.

Saudi Arabia’s air force, built on advanced US-supplied systems, was bolstered by a major arms deal signed with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during Donald Trump’s first term and expanded during Trump’s most recent regional tour.

During the 12 days of aggression against Iran, the United States and its allies, alongside the Israeli military, were the most active, through aircraft, ships, Patriot and THAAD air defense systems, and more.

The US serves not only as a bridge between Israel and regional countries but also as a coordinating factor with Arab countries with which there are no direct relations.

This vicious cooperation was also seen in previous waves of Iranian attacks on Israel in April and October 2024. Then too, the United States and European countries operated in various arenas – some through interception means, others through location and information sharing.

 Now, during the 12 days of the US-Israeli aggression, the operation was much broader in scope.

Analysts say any level of cooperation with the US and Israel against Iran would be seen as a “stab in the back” of ... Palestinians and the entire Muslim world.

On June 13, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked aggression against Iran, assassinating many high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary civilians.

More than a week later, the United States also jumped on the bandwagon and bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

In response, Iranian armed forces targeted strategic sites across the occupied territories as well as the al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.

On June 24, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the illegal aggression.

Source: Press TV