Saudi Arabia condemns attack on UAE consulate in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday strongly condemned the targeting of the UAE Consulate General in Erbil by an unidentified one-way attack drone, as Iran continues attacks across the region amid its war with the United States and Israel.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation of the targeting of the Consulate General of the United Arab Emirates in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” the ministry said in a statement early Tuesday.

It added that such attacks on diplomatic missions “clearly violate international laws and norms.”

The UAE foreign ministry said the attack “resulted in material damage with no injuries reported.” It also called on Baghdad and Erbil to “investigate the circumstances surrounding this attack, identify those responsible, and take all necessary measures to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.”

Kurdistan Region's Department of Foreign Relations on Tuesday condemned the attack on the UAE mission in Erbil, calling on Baghdad to stop the assaults. 

"The Iraqi government must assume its responsibility to protect Iraq’s sovereignty and prevent those extremist and outlawed groups operating within Iraq from continuously targeting the Kurdistan Region without justification," said the department in a statement. 

The Kurdistan Region has been targeted by 210 drones and missiles in the first 10 days of the war involving Israel and the United States against Iran, killing four people and wounding 19 others, according to monitoring by Rudaw and data from a human rights organization operating in the Region.

Most attacks targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the Region were carried out by Iran, while Iranian-backed armed groups have claimed responsibility for the majority of attacks launched against other locations in the Region.

Iran and its proxies in Iraq have mainly targeted the US consulate in Erbil and other US interests. This marks the first time the diplomatic mission of another country has been hit since the war began on February 28.