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Majority of attacks on Saudi Arabia carried out by pro-Iran militias in Iraq

Since Feb. 28, most attacks on the kingdom have originated in Iraq and been attributed to Iran-backed Shiite militias, according to regional officials and Iraqi sources.

Amberin Zaman
Amberin Zaman
May 18, 2026
AFP via Getty Images
Water is sprayed by fire brigades at the smoke and flames rising from a Saudi Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah, on March 25, 2022, following a reported Yemeni rebel attack. — AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it had intercepted three drones after they entered its airspace from neighboring Iraq.

Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said that Riyadh would take the necessary measures in response to any attempt to violate the kingdom's security and sovereignty.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it was investigating the claim, but that Iraqi air defenses had not detected any drones launched within the country’s airspace.

Yet the drone attacks on Saudi Arabia fit a broader pattern, according to regional officials and diplomats.

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