Saudi Gazette report

MUNICH — Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that his country was concerned about a regional war. However, he sounded a note of optimism, saying “I don't believe that the Iranians want a broader war,” he said in an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

“I feared that the longer the conflict in Gaza goes on, the more danger there is for miscalculation, the more danger there is for escalation,” he said in an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The minister said that Saudi Arabia would continue talks with Iran and an additional round of negotiations between the two countries are expected soon.

Speaking at the conference, Prince Faisal described “the level of civilian death and destruction” in Gaza as “unimaginable.” "We already have a humanitarian catastrophe on our hands," the minister 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 also emphasized: “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.