Saudi Arabia intercepts drones targeting oil facilities, blames Iran-backed groups in Iraq
Saudi Arabia intercepted drones aimed at oil facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh on Monday, blaming Iran-backed groups in Iraq. Jordan downed two drones the same day. Per Al Jazeera and Reuters, it's the second such wave this year, after a similar episode in May.
Saudi Arabia's air defenses intercepted a wave of drones aimed at oil facilities in the kingdom's Eastern Province and in Riyadh on Monday. Saudi's Foreign Ministry blamed the attack on Iran-backed armed groups operating from Iraqi territory and said it reserves the right to respond. The same day, Jordan reported shooting down two drones, and Iraqi security sources said there were strikes on camps linked to Iranian-Kurdish opposition fighters in the country's north. Yemen's Houthi rebels separately claimed responsibility for targeting Saudi crude oil transport infrastructure, though it is unclear if the incidents were coordinated. Per Al Jazeera and Reuters, this is the second such wave of Iraq-linked drone attacks on Saudi Arabia this year, after a similar episode in May that drew condemnation from the Gulf Cooperation Council. Iraq's government said it is investigating Saudi's claim and that it will not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against neighbouring countries. The attacks land just as the United States and Iran have paused direct strikes on each other after two weeks of intense hostilities, with mediators pointing to a rising chance of renewed negotiations. That the strikes continued anyway suggests Iran-aligned factions inside Iraq are not necessarily bound by whatever de-escalation Tehran itself agrees to, which puts Baghdad's control over armed groups on its own soil back under scrutiny.