US and Saudi Arabia Launch Joint Attack on Iran-Backed Groups in Iraq

In a significant escalation of tensions in the region, the United States and Saudi Arabia have launched a joint attack on Iranian-backed groups in Iraq.

The attack, which was carried out on Wednesday, targeted logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq, in response to a series of drone strikes launched from Iraq against Saudi Arabia’s petroleum facilities.

According to a statement released by the US Central Command, the joint attack was a ‘strong response’ to the over 30 drone strikes directed at Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure over the last 72 hours.

The statement also highlighted that the joint attack was the first US military operation during a five-day pause in direct strikes on Iran, which was intended to allow diplomacy to resume.

The pause followed 13 consecutive nights of CENTCOM strikes on Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the joint strikes, describing them as ‘precise and targeted strikes.’

The Iran-aligned, Iraq-based Popular Mobilization Forces said its Basra Operations Command came under attack at 2 a.m. local time, wounding two of its members, according to the Iraqi New Agency.

It did not identify those responsible for the attack.

Inspections of the site and damage assessments are ongoing, according to the Popular Mobilization Forces.

It was unclear if any of the Iraq-launched drones hit their intended targets, though Saudi Arabia said several drones targeting its petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh region had been intercepted and destroyed.

According to CENTCOM, more than 600 ‘attempted attacks’ targeting US assets in the region were launched by Iranian proxies in Iraq between the start of the war in late February and the announcement of the now-collapsed cease-fire in April.

‘The unwarranted attacks against US forces were not successful,’ it said.

The United States and Iran have been at war since late February, though fighting halted under a fragile cease-fire reached in April.

The cease-fire collapsed earlier this month, leading to nearly a fortnight of nightly US attacks against Iran.

The US and Saudi Arabia’s joint attack on Iranian-backed groups in Iraq marks a significant escalation of tensions in the region and raises questions about the future of diplomacy in the region.