Saudi Arabia, which had tried not to take part directly in the war between the United States and Iran, carried out airstrikes on pro-Iran militias in Iraq six months after the war broke out, drawing attention to the background. Saudi emphasized that it was a limited retaliation against the forces that attacked its oil facilities, but some assess that it effectively took part openly for the first time in the U.S.-led war against Iran.
On the 29th (local time), according to major foreign outlets including the New York Times (NYT) and CNN, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of National Defense said it bombed facilities of pro-Iran militias in Iraq together with U.S. forces. The Saudi government said it launched the retaliation because Iraqi militias attacked its oil facilities this week.
Saudi Arabia stressed that the strikes were a limited response in self-defense, not a full entry into the U.S.-Iran war. Turki al-Maliki, Spokesperson for Saudi Arabia's Ministry of National Defense, said, "Saudi does not want tensions to rise further," but added, "We will respond to any attack." He also cited a verse from the Quran that urges responding to the other side to the extent one has been attacked.
News also emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump and Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's defense minister and prince, held talks right after the Saudi and U.S. attacks. Crown Prince bin Salman was said to have conveyed that the strikes in Iraq did not mean Saudi wants to escalate tensions, but that it is prepared to defend itself if necessary.
◇ "Passive stance backfires"… why Saudi changed course
Experts analyzed that Saudi decided on an overt retaliation out of concern that continued avoidance of military action could be taken by hostile forces as condoning attacks.
Abdulaziz Alghashian, a senior researcher at the Gulf International Forum, said Saudi's reluctance to join the war "was misunderstood as accepting attacks against itself." He added that through these strikes Saudi is trying to send a message to hostile forces that "there will be a price to pay for attacking Saudi."
Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said the strikes also served as a warning to Iran. He noted it was a message that "if Iran raises the level of attacks against Saudi, Saudi could join hands more closely with the United States and expand its participation in the war."
Saudi had avoided direct participation in the war that began after the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. Although the weakening of Iran's national power could be advantageous for Saudi, which has long been at odds with Iran, Saudi could also suffer major damage if the war spreads across the Middle East.
There were economic reasons for Saudi's wariness. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pushing "Vision 2030" to shift the oil-dependent economic structure and build Saudi into a hub for tourism and business. But as the war has dragged on, efforts to attract tourists and foreign investment have been disrupted. Crude oil exports, the core of government finances, have also been constrained, increasing the economic burden.
Saudi's relationship with the U.S. administration of Donald Trump also played a role. The two countries' differences widened over how to handle Middle East security issues and Iran. In recent years, Saudi has sought to improve relations to reduce Iran's threats. It judged that managing Iran through diplomacy rather than military clashes was the practical approach.
However, with the U.S.-Iran war, Saudi's diplomatic efforts fell apart. In retaliation for U.S. attacks, Iran launched thousands of missiles and drones at countries along the Persian Gulf with U.S. military bases, including Saudi.
This month, the Yemen Houthi rebels backed by Iran have also been pressuring Saudi. The Houthis claimed responsibility for several attacks that occurred on Saudi territory and declared they would blockade Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
Saudi is known to have carried out covert military operations against Iran in the meantime. But foreign media assessed the latest joint U.S.-Saudi strikes as the first case in which Saudi openly acknowledged direct participation in the U.S. war. It was also the first time Saudi said it had attacked armed groups inside Iraq.