Saudi Arabia’s armed forces announced on Wednesday, under coordination with the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), they have carried out “targeted strikes” against Iran-backed armed groups inside Iraq in response to recent drone attacks on Saudi energy facilities.
At the same time, Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea to enforce their newly declared blockade on Saudi maritime interests. These incidents demonstrate that the conflict in the Gulf is expanding to multiple fronts including Iraq and the Red Sea, intensifying pressure on global energy supply and commercial shipping.
The US Central Command stated that this operation was launched following over 30 drone attacks in the past 72 hours. The US alleges that these attacks were “commanded by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and targeted US military and Saudi energy infrastructure.”
Just hours before the announcement of the US-Saudi airstrikes, Saudi Arabia stated that its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraq. This was the second such attack in less than two days.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense indicated that the airstrikes targeted the organization responsible for attacking the oil facilities in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and emphasized that Riyadh “has no intention to escalate the situation but will respond to any acts of aggression.”
Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Turki al-Malki stated on Tuesday that these drones were launched by Iranian-backed groups inside Iraq, asserting that Riyadh reserves the right to respond at the “appropriate time and place.”
According to the Iraqi News Agency (INA) citing local officials, the airstrikes hit the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, resulting in injuries to two members.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) consist mainly of Shiite paramilitary factions and have been formally integrated into the Iraqi national security forces, including several militia groups allied with Iran.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has ordered an investigation into the drone attacks and emphasized that Iraq will not allow its territory to be used for launching attacks against neighboring countries.
Iran has denied involvement in the attacks on Saudi targets. Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB quoted an unnamed military official stating that attributing the attacks to Iran was a “major miscalculation.”
On the Red Sea front, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the organization had launched a ballistic missile at a Saudi oil tanker that violated the maritime blockade, forcing the vessel to change course.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO) confirmed that the captain of a tanker reported hearing an explosion while sailing through the southern Red Sea.
UKMTO stated that the crew and the vessel were safe, and there were no reports of environmental damage such as oil spills. However, media outlets have not been able to verify if this incident reported by the captain is related to the attack claimed by the Houthi rebels.
The Houthi rebels previously announced on July 20th their intention to enforce a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea in retaliation to the Saudi siege on Yemen. Saudi Arabia denied these accusations, stating that Yemeni ports were still open for vessels to dock.
Last Friday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen struck Houthi military positions in the Hudaydah province, claiming these locations were used to threaten commercial shipping.
Subsequently, the Houthi rebels fired at Saudi oil facilities within two ports along the Red Sea coast on Saturday, leading to retaliatory airstrikes by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces against the Houthi rebels.
This marks a rare instance since the ceasefire agreement mediated by the United Nations in 2022 where the Saudi-led coalition and internationally recognized Yemeni government forces, actively supported by Saudi Arabia, have launched simultaneous large-scale attacks against the Houthi rebels.