Saudi Arabia Braces for Attacks on Ports and Airports by Iraqi Militias Working with Iran-backed Houthis
By Nic Robertson, Hira Humayun
Saudi Arabia is bracing for a “multiple coordinated attacks” by Iraqi militias factions and Iran-backed Houthis, a Saudi official told CNN, as the broader Middle East conflict threatens to widen.
The official cited “multiple intelligence reports” from Saudi Arabia, the US and regional countries indicating some Iraqi militia members, “in coordination with the Houthis” are planning to attack the Gulf nation “in the very near future” under the guidance of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The reports of impending attacks come a day after the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, a key shipping route. In the past few weeks, Saudi Arabia has come under missile attacks from the Houthis in Yemen and drone attacks from Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
The official expressed alarm on Thursday, saying the reports came as Saudi Arabia was pursuing de-escalation and negotiations involving Iran appeared to be heading in the right direction.
“Saudi Arabia will take all necessary measures to deal with any aggression,” the official said.
The Saudi official said Saudi Arabia had detected meetings involving Iraqis, Houthis and some IRGC members, as well as the movement of drones and missiles. The official suggested the planned attacks were intended to derail progress in negotiations and might indicate a power struggle within Iran itself.
“I think they want to coordinate attacks from both north and south,” the official said. The potential targets were “mostly civilian and economic installations,” the official added, identifying energy facilities, ports and airports but providing no further details.
Despite the reports, the official said Saudi Arabia would continue its de-escalation efforts and contacts with Iraqi authorities. The official declined to disclose details of their responses.
Shortly after the official’s statement, the Saudi-led coalition said that 11 civilians were injured Thursday in a Houthi attack in southern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen.
Seven of those wounded were Saudi nationals, including a woman and a 4-year-old child who suffered second-degree burns. A Yemeni national, two Egyptians and a Pakistani were also injured.
“The terrorist Houthi militia carried out these terrorist attacks using indiscriminate shelling against civilian objects,” the coalition statement read.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will hold a summit in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, where a joint defense agreement it expected to be announced, according to regional sources.
Saudi Arabia led a military coalition that intervened against the Houthis in Yemen in 2015 but failed to dislodge the group from the country’s north. The seven-year conflict helped create one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
