Sources confirmed to the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait launched direct military strikes into Iraq to neutralize Tehran-backed Shiite proxies.
The operations, which were conducted alongside the broader conflict involving US and Israeli actions against Iran, targeted the sophisticated drone and missile infrastructure used by militias to terrorize Gulf states.
The Reuters report said that Saudi Air Force fighter jets struck militia targets near the Kingdom’s northern border, specifically focusing on sites used to launch projectiles at Saudi energy facilities. These strikes reportedly intensified around the time of the April 7 ceasefire, demonstrating Riyadh’s resolve to eliminate threats emanating from its neighbor.
The report further indicated that the retaliation was not limited to the air. Iraqi military assessments suggest that rockets were launched from Kuwaiti territory on at least two occasions. One such operation in April successfully decimated a southern Iraqi facility belonging to the Kataib Hezbollah militia. The strike reportedly killed several terrorists and destroyed a vital hub for Iranian-led communications and drone sorties.
While it remains unclear if the rockets were fired by Kuwaiti forces or the US military stationed there, the actions follow months of escalating frustration. Kuwait summoned Iraq’s representative three times during the conflict to protest cross-border aggression, including the violent storming of the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra.
The report comes a day after Reuters revealed that Saudi Arabia carried out a series of unpublicized military strikes against Iran during the height of the recent regional conflict.
According to Western and Iranian officials, the Saudi Air Force targeted Iranian territory in late March, marking the first time the Kingdom has engaged in direct military action on the soil of its chief regional adversary.
The strikes were described as “tit-for-tat” retaliation following a series of Iranian-led drone and missile barrages that targeted Saudi civilian infrastructure, airports, and oil facilities.
The report on the Saudi strikes came one day after The Wall Street Journal reported that the United Arab Emirates had also launched strikes against Iran during the current conflict.
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