RIYADH — A senior Saudi official said the Kingdom’s recent military strikes in Iraq were directed solely at Iran-backed terrorist militias responsible for attacks on Saudi territory and were not aimed at the Iraqi government or its people.
Speaking to Al Arabiya on Friday, the official said the operation targeted militia military warehouses linked to the recent drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities and critical infrastructure.
The official stressed that the strikes came only after all diplomatic and political avenues had been exhausted and after Saudi Arabia had exercised what he described as the utmost restraint over recent months.
He said the Iran-backed militias were harming Iraq’s interests and its relations with Arab and Islamic countries by using Iraqi territory and resources to carry out attacks against neighboring states.
The official reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to maintaining strong relations with Iraq and its people, emphasizing that the operation was limited to degrading the capabilities of the militias responsible for threatening the Kingdom’s security and targeting its civilian and economic infrastructure.
He also dismissed attempts by some parties inside and outside Iraq to inflame sectarian tensions following the strikes, saying such efforts would not deceive the Iraqi people and only sought to undermine Iraq’s security, stability and regional ties.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense announced that the Kingdom’s armed forces, in coordination with the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), had carried out precision strikes against Iran-backed militia targets in Iraq linked to recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
Saudi authorities have said the operation followed drone attacks intercepted by the Kingdom’s air defenses earlier this week targeting oil installations in the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region, reiterating that Saudi Arabia does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression against the Kingdom.
Source: Saudi Gazette