The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that the attack on the "East-West" pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions was executed by several drones originating from Iraqi territory. The Kingdom has decided not to respond "at this stage" in deference to a request from the Iraqi Prime Minister.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" the targeting of the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions by "several drones coming from Iraq."
The attack resulted in human casualties and material damage, and the concerned authorities are working to address the resulting damage.
Significantly, the statement revealed that Saudi Arabia has opted not to retaliate against the attack at present, after receiving a request from the Iraqi Prime Minister to allow Baghdad time to take necessary measures to prevent further attacks originating from Iraqi soil towards Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.
The ministry stated: "In response to the request from the Iraqi Prime Minister to allow the Iraqi government to take measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi soil against the Kingdom and neighboring countries, the Kingdom has chosen not to respond at this stage, supporting the Iraqi government's efforts."
This stance reflects Saudi Arabia's decision to give Baghdad a chance to deal with the parties responsible for launching the drones and preventing the use of Iraqi land for new attacks on the Kingdom.
While choosing not to respond at this time, Riyadh issued a clear warning against the recurrence of such attacks.
The Foreign Ministry affirmed that Saudi Arabia "reserves its right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security, facilities, citizens, and residents."
This announcement places the Iraqi government before a new security challenge concerning the prevention of Iraqi territory being used as a launch pad for attacks against neighboring countries, while Riyadh keeps all options on the table should the attacks recur.
The targeting of the East-West pipeline is particularly significant given its role in transporting Saudi oil from the east of the Kingdom to the Red Sea coast, amid increasing military escalation and disruptions in energy supply routes in the region.