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Saudi Arabia joins US in strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

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

From Vanguard · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Saudi Arabia and the U.S. conducted joint strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, escalating regional tensions.
  • The strikes targeted sites used by militias directed by Iran's IRGC to attack U.S. forces and Saudi infrastructure.
  • The action follows Iran's missile launch targeting U.S. forces in Jordan and subsequent threats from both sides.

Saudi Arabia and the United States have jointly launched strikes against Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq, marking a significant potential escalation in the Middle East conflict. The coordinated attacks targeted multiple logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom).

The IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further U.S. military response.

— CentcomU.S. Central Command issues a warning to Iran and its allied groups following a series of drone attacks and retaliatory strikes.

Centcom stated that the strikes were a direct response to "Iran-aligned terrorists that the IRGC directed to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure." This action comes after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan, which Centcom reported were successfully intercepted. The IRGC claimed responsibility for the Jordan attack, stating it was retaliation for "aggression by the American child-killing army."

Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a coalition of militias largely dominated by Iran-backed Shia groups, reported that at least 20 of its members were killed in the U.S.-Saudi strikes on its bases. Simultaneously, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported that at least four IRGC members died in the joint attack. The IRGC also claimed to have struck three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz after they allegedly ignored warnings.

They’re going to get a beating.

— Donald TrumpU.S. President Donald Trump vows a strong response to Iran's missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan.

U.S. President Donald Trump responded to the Iranian attack on Jordan by vowing a strong military response. Centcom emphasized that the joint strikes were a "strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours," calling them "unwarranted." A Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj-Gen Turki al-Maliki, accused Iran-backed militias of launching drones from Iraqi territory at Saudi oil facilities, asserting that Saudi Arabia acted in self-defense.

Saudi Arabia, under its right to self-defence had responded by conducting strikes against specific targets belonging to those militias.

— Maj-Gen Turki al-MalikiA spokesman for the Saudi Defence Ministry explains the justification for Saudi Arabia's participation in the joint strikes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Vanguard. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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