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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a strong condemnation of drone attacks it says were carried out by Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq, declaring the kingdom’s determination to protect its security and sovereignty and to exercise its right to respond to the sources of the attacks. According to reporting in the Jerusalem Post, the ministry also stressed the need for the Iraqi government to take all necessary measures to prevent its territory from being used as a base for acts of aggression.

The condemnation followed strikes that, in the same reporting, targeted Saudi Arabia and the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq while also being described as threatening Jordan, Israel and Syria. Analysts cited in the coverage portray the incidents as part of a longer pattern in which Iranian-backed armed groups based in Iraq have been used to pressure neighboring states.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage in the Jerusalem Post frames the episode primarily through the lens of Iranian support for Iraqi militias and the resulting pressure on Saudi Arabia and other regional actors. One strand of the reporting emphasizes Riyadh’s official response, quoting the Foreign Ministry’s condemnation of “reprehensible drone attacks carried out by Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq” and its insistence on safeguarding security, deterring aggressors and responding to the sources of the attacks. That account also situates the latest incidents within years of threats directed at the kingdom by Iran-backed groups, with particular reference to the persistent challenge posed by the Houthis in Yemen after Saudi Arabia’s 2015 intervention there.

A second strand focuses on the operational picture inside Iraq. It describes Iranian-backed militias as again using Iraqi territory to attack neighboring states, notes strikes on Saudi Arabia and the Kurdistan Region, and records indications of possible activity affecting Syria. The same reporting traces the militias’ origins to Shi’ite armed groups that fought U.S. and coalition forces after 2003, the role of the IRGC Quds Force in providing funding, weapons, training and other support, and the later incorporation of many of these groups into the Popular Mobilization Forces after the rise of ISIS in 2014. It further notes that the United States identifies several major Iran-backed Iraqi militias as both Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

A third strand, drawing on regional assessments reported by the Jerusalem Post, highlights growing coordination between the Houthis and Iraqi armed groups loyal to Iran. Those assessments state that the Houthis worked with Iraqi groups to strike Saudi Arabia, including oil facilities in the kingdom’s eastern province, and that some attacks were launched from Iraqi territory under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The reporting notes that these assessments differ from official accounts: Saudi Arabia, after carrying out joint airstrikes with the United States on Iraqi sites it linked to the attacks, officially blamed Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran; the Houthis said they carried out the attacks; and Iraq said it is investigating. Iraq’s long border with Saudi Arabia is described as offering a potential launch pad for attacks across Gulf states.

Across the coverage the causal thread remains consistent: Iranian support and direction are presented as enabling the militias’ ability to project force from Iraqi soil. Differences appear mainly in the degree of emphasis placed on Saudi diplomatic language, on the historical development of the militia network, and on the specific claim of joint Houthi–Iraqi operations.

Key Claims

  • Iranian-backed militias are using Iraq to attack neighboring states, according to the Jerusalem Post.
  • The militias targeted Saudi Arabia and the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq and have been described as threatening Jordan, Israel and Syria, the Jerusalem Post reported.
  • Iran’s IRGC Quds Force provided funding, weapons, training and other support to these militias, per the Jerusalem Post.
  • The United States identifies several major Iran-backed Iraqi militias as both Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, the Jerusalem Post stated.
  • Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the drone attacks carried out by Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
  • The kingdom expressed its determination to safeguard its security and sovereignty, deter aggressors and exercise its right to respond to the sources of the attacks, and called on the Iraqi government to prevent its territory from being used for aggression, according to the Jerusalem Post.
  • Regional assessments reported by the Jerusalem Post say the Houthis worked with Iraqi armed groups to strike Saudi Arabia, including from Iraqi territory and under IRGC supervision; these assessments differ from official accounts in which Saudi Arabia blamed Iraqi groups, the Houthis claimed the attacks, and Iraq said it is investigating.
  • Iraq’s long Saudi border is described as offering a launch pad for attacks across Gulf states, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Perspectives

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the attacks as unacceptable aggression launched from Iraqi territory by Iran-backed militias, asserted an unwavering determination to protect the kingdom’s security and sovereignty, reserved the right to respond, and placed responsibility on the Iraqi government to stop the use of its soil for such operations.

Regional assessments cited in the reporting portrayed deeper operational coordination within Iran’s network, asserting that Houthis and Iraqi armed groups jointly conducted strikes on Saudi targets, including oil infrastructure, under IRGC oversight.

Official accounts diverged on attribution: Saudi Arabia, following joint airstrikes with the United States on Iraqi sites, officially blamed Iranian-aligned Iraqi armed groups; the Houthis stated that they carried out the attacks; and the Iraqi government said it is investigating.