Shafaq News- Washington/ Riyadh
The US and Saudi forces carried out precision airstrikes on sites in eastern Iraq that belonged to Iran-backed armed groups accused of attacking US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Wednesday.
According to CENTCOM, US and Saudi fighter jets struck multiple weapons storage and logistical supply sites in different areas of eastern Iraq. The operation was carried out in response to more than 30 drone attacks that it alleged the IRGC had directed over the previous 72 hours, CENTCOM said.
CENTCOM did not identify the provinces or specific locations targeted in the strikes.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 29, 2026
However, a security source told Shafaq News that explosions were reported near sites in the provinces of Basra, Babil, Karbala, and Nineveh.
The US military command said the attacks against its forces had failed to achieve their objectives. It warned the IRGC and allied armed groups that continued attacks would result in additional US military responses. “US citizens and facilities were subjected to more than 600 attempted attacks carried out by Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions between February and April 2026.”
Separately, the Saudi Defense Ministry stated that the operation was conducted in coordination with US Central Command, citing its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The strikes targeted “militia positions” inside Iraq linked to attacks on the Kingdom's oil facilities, it added.
“We don't seek escalation but would respond to any aggression against its territory.”
On Monday, Saudi Arabia accused the same parties of similar attacks on oil facilities. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions, denied the accusation. Iraq’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi, directed the competent security authorities to investigate the incident.
صرح المتحدث الرسمي باسم وزارة الدفاع اللواء الركن تركي المالكي أنه إلحاقاً للبيانين الصادرين من وزارة الدفاع يومي الاثنين (13 صفر 1448هـ) والثلاثاء ( 14 صفر 1448هـ) الموافقين ( 27- 28 يوليو 2026م) من أن الدفاعات الجوية اعترضت ودمرت عدداً من المسيّرات التي حاولت استهداف منشآت… pic.twitter.com/0Pei5KwSkQ
— وزارة الدفاع (@modgovksa) July 29, 2026