PH calls for restraint amid Mideast tensions

The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Friday called on parties concerned “to exercise restraint” to avoid an escalation of tensions in the Middle East amid reported attacks in Saudi Arabia. (File Photo By Patrick Roque, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA — The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Friday called on parties concerned “to exercise restraint” to avoid an escalation of tensions in the Middle East amid reported attacks in Saudi Arabia.

“The Philippine government calls on all parties to the conflict to exercise restraint from any activity that may escalate, threaten, and jeopardize the political situation in the region,” the DFA said in a statement.

“As our Muslim brethren celebrate the Holy Month of Ramadan, the Philippines hopes that the spirit of peace and understanding would prevail,” it added.

The statement, with the heading “On the attack on the Saudi Petroleum Pumping Station”, comes a day after the Saudi government, ahead of the emergency summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, pressed for an international stance against “Iranian practices”, which it called “a threat to the world security and peace.”

The reported attack on oil facilities occurred in the middle of May.

The kingdom’s national petroleum and natural gas company, Saudi Aramco, as quoted by CNN, said a drone has targeted two pumping stations located between Riyadh and Yanbu.

No casualty has been reported but one of the pumping stations suffered “minor damage.

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Last week, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah also urged Filipinos in the country to remain vigilant after local authorities intercepted two alleged Iran-backed Houthi ballistic missiles heading toward Makkah and Jeddah.

The missiles were intercepted over Taif, 50 km.

away from Makkah or Mecca. Yemen’s Houthi, on the other hand, denied it fired the ballistic missiles toward the city.