US-Saudi strikes thrust Iraq deeper into regional conflict

Twenty members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) were killed and 32 others wounded in overnight US-Saudi air strikes that hit the armed group's positions across several Iraqi provinces, marking a sharp escalation in the regional conflict and raising fears Iraq could once again become a battleground for proxy warfare.

The operation marked Saudi Arabia's first publicly acknowledged military action inside Iraq since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran on 28 February and one of the rare occasions Riyadh has acknowledged conducting strikes inside Iraq since its participation in the US-led coalition during the 1991 Gulf War. The move signalled a significant expansion of Saudi Arabia's role in the conflict.

In a statement on Wednesday, the PMF described the strikes as a "serious escalation" and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, adding that casualty figures remained preliminary as rescue operations continued at multiple sites.

A security source told The New Arab that the strikes targeted faction positions in Al-Deir in Basrah, al-Suwaira in Wasit, the Awn district in Karbala, Al-Dibs in Kirkuk, Amerli in Sala al-Din, Al-Hamdaniya in the Nineveh Plain, Al-Madain south of Baghdad and Camp Ashraf in Diyala.

The source said faction headquarters across the country had been placed on high alert since the attacks began, with many positions evacuated to reduce casualties in the event of further strikes. Security officials, the source added, had not ruled out additional attacks.

The United States and Saudi Arabia said they had targeted Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq in retaliation for recent attacks.

In a statement, Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said the targeted groups were responsible for attacks on Saudi oil facilities, describing them as "terrorist militias loyal to Iran".

Riyadh said the operation was conducted under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which recognises the right of self-defence, adding that it did not seek escalation but would respond to attacks on its territory.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the joint operation targeted logistical facilities and weapons depots used by the armed groups, adding that it came after more than 30 drone attacks over the previous 72 hours targeting US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure, which it attributed to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and allied Iraqi factions.

That account remains disputed, with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq denying responsibility for the attacks cited by Saudi Arabia and instead blaming Yemen's Houthi movement, which claimed responsibility for the 24 July attack on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.

Ali al-Jubouri, a strategic affairs expert, said the strikes risked tipping the region into a more dangerous phase of the conflict.

"The recent US-Saudi attack carries great risks to the security of the region, and it must be dealt with with the utmost caution, because opening any space for direct confrontation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia may open the door to a broad regional crisis whose repercussions are difficult to contain," he told The New Arab.

He added that accusations against Iraqi armed factions over attacks inside Saudi Arabia, followed by strikes on PMF positions, represented "a dangerous shift in the nature of the regional conflict" that could trigger a new cycle of military and political escalation.

Local media and Iraqi security sources said Saudi and US fighter jets entered Iraqi airspace before carrying out near-simultaneous strikes on the targeted locations.

The attacks prompted Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to convene an emergency meeting of the country's security council to assess the security situation and the consequences of the strikes, according to a statement from his office.

The strikes also appeared to disrupt Iraq's diplomacy. Reports suggested al-Zaidi had postponed a planned visit to Riyadh on Thursday, where he had been expected to discuss restarting Iraqi oil exports through Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port, alongside broader cooperation on electricity and energy. Iraqi analysts said renewed attacks on Saudi territory may have been intended to derail the visit.

The prime minister is also facing mounting domestic pressure ahead of a 30 September deadline for the disarmament of the PMF.

The latest strikes could complicate Baghdad's efforts to bring armed factions under state control, with some groups likely to resist renewed pressure to disarm after coming under attack.

Separately, the US Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert for American citizens, warning that Iran-backed armed groups had launched attacks from Iraqi territory and that the deteriorating security situation posed "grave risks to public safety". The embassy urged US nationals to exercise extreme caution.

The strikes came amid a wider regional escalation as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced earlier it had fired ballistic missiles at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and US Central Command facilities in the country. Jordan's military said the missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets.