Saudi Arabia joins US airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Saudi Arabia has joined the United States in carrying out coordinated airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, marking a significant escalation in the already volatile Middle East conflict.

The joint operation came after a series of drone and missile attacks that Washington and Riyadh blamed on groups linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The strikes targeted multiple militia bases across Iraq, including locations in Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala provinces.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation was aimed at “Iran-aligned terrorists” allegedly directed by the IRGC to attack American military personnel and Saudi energy infrastructure. According to Centcom, the strikes were launched in response to more than 30 drone attacks over the past 72 hours, all of which it said had failed to achieve their objectives.

Saudi Arabia confirmed its participation in the operation, accusing Iran-backed militias of launching drones from Iraqi territory toward oil facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and Riyadh region earlier this week. Saudi defence ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the military action was carried out under the country’s right to self-defence.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not seek escalation but will respond decisively to any aggression directed against it,” he said.

The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), Iraq’s state-recognised paramilitary organization that includes several Iran-backed Shia militias, said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 others injured in the airstrikes. The group described the attacks as a serious violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and condemned what it called “treacherous terrorist attacks” against official security institutions.

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An unnamed PMF official said the heaviest casualties were recorded in Nineveh and Diyala provinces.

The latest military action followed reports that Iran had launched missiles toward US military positions in the Middle East. CENTCOM said all incoming missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, however, claimed responsibility for missile strikes targeting a US air base and a command center in Jordan, saying the attack was retaliation for what it described as American aggression. The IRGC also claimed its naval forces struck three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz after accusing them of using an “unsafe and illegal route” through the strategic waterway.

Iran has denied directing the drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. A senior Iranian defence official, quoted by state media, dismissed the accusations and warned that blaming Tehran for attacks on US interests in the region was a “major miscalculation.”

The renewed fighting comes after several days of reduced hostilities between Washington and Tehran, during which United States President Donald Trump had spoken positively about diplomatic efforts to ease tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Those hopes have now faded as military exchanges resume.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical flashpoint because it serves as one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes. Concerns that the latest escalation could further disrupt energy supplies pushed global oil prices higher, with Brent crude and US benchmark oil both recording gains of more than four percent in early Asian trading.

The latest developments also coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he held talks with President Trump amid growing regional instability.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon recently reported that at least 624 US military personnel have been wounded since the current conflict with Iran began in February, underscoring the widening human cost of the crisis.

(BBC News)