CAIRO, March 19 (NNN-Xinhua) — Cairo-based Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Thursday strongly condemned Iranian missile attacks targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, which caused extensive damage and ignited fires.
In an official statement, Aboul-Gheit described the attacks as a violation of international law and the principles of good-neighborliness, and a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2817.
He also denounced Iranian drone and missile strikes on Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as well as attacks on the United Arab Emirates. “Targeting oil and gas facilities in the Arab Gulf region constitutes a dangerous escalation and an unjustified Iranian act of aggression with unpredictable consequences that would further increase regional tensions,” he added.
He reiterated full solidarity with the Gulf states and expressed support for any measures they take to respond to the Iranian attacks. On Wednesday, Qatar’s Interior Ministry reported that civil defense teams were responding to a fire in the Ras Laffan area following the attack. Located about 80 km north of Doha, Ras Laffan is a central hub for Qatar’s liquefied natural gas production.
Also on Wednesday, Saudi air defenses intercepted eight ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh. The incidents come amid heightened regional tensions following weeks of escalating exchanges of fire between Iran and the U.S.-Israeli alliance.
–NNN-Xinhua