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In an interview with FRANCE 24 on tensions in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said his country was “concerned” about a regional war. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said he feared that “the longer the conflict in Gaza goes on, the more danger there is for miscalculation, the more danger there is for escalation“. But the top Saudi diplomat also sounded a note of optimism, saying “I don’t believe that the Iranians want a broader war“.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), Prince Faisal described “the level of civilian death and destruction” in Gaza as “unimaginable“.
“We already have a humanitarian catastrophe on our hands,” the top Saudi diplomat noted. In that context, “the potential prospect of military operations in Rafah – the last safe haven in the south, and without any clear mechanisms to protect the civilians – this is completely unacceptable”.
Prince Faisal added: “We have said from the beginning that we need a ceasefire, and we need a ceasefire now more than ever.”
Finally, in spite of rising tensions in the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels are striking vessels, the Saudi foreign minister said a peace deal between the government of Yemen and the Houthis was “close”, and that Riyadh “would support” it.
F24
Siddhartha 