Nigeria, Feb. 28 -- Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned Iran's latest military actions across the Gulf, confirming that Iranian forces directly targeted Riyadh and the kingdom's eastern region in a significant escalation of hostilities.

According to a statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, as reported by Al Jazeera, the attacks were successfully repelled by the kingdom's air defence systems.

"These attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way," the statement said, adding that they occurred despite Iran being aware that the Kingdom had made clear it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used to launch operations against Iran.

The confirmation marks a critical development in the rapidly unfolding crisis,...