CAIRO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Sunday condemned Iranian attacks targeting Arab states as a huge "strategic mistake," warning that they threaten Arab national security and violate international law.
Speaking at an extraordinary ministerial meeting of the Arab League Council, Aboul-Gheit said that "this unjustified Iranian aggression reflects confusion in perception," urging Iran to reconsider its policies and halt the attacks on Arab territories immediately.
"Arabs speak with one voice and stand in one row in condemning and rejecting any attack on any Arab state, or violation of its sovereignty or threat to the safety of its lands and airspace," he emphasized.
Aboul-Gheit stressed that Arab states are not parties to the ongoing conflict and have rejected the use of their territories and airspace for military operations. He noted that several Arab countries, including Oman, Egypt, and Qatar, had made serious diplomatic efforts to prevent the outbreak of war in the region.
He also reaffirmed solidarity with the Arab countries targeted by the attacks, stressing the need to return to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve regional crises and avoid further escalation.
The development came amid heightened regional tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. assets across the Middle East. ■
