On Feb. 28 (local time), the front lines of the Middle East war that began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran have been steadily expanding. Saudi Arabia, which had avoided armed clashes with other countries, has entered the war in earnest, and Egypt was attacked for the first time in this phase.
According to major foreign media on the 29th, U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, said it launched fighter jets jointly with the Saudi Ministry of National Defense the previous day and, over 72 hours, struck logistics bases and weapons storage facilities of Iran-aligned militias operating in eastern Iraq. The militias are linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and are known to have launched more than 30 drones targeting U.S. facilities and energy installations in Saudi Arabia.
The attack has also complicated Iraq's position. In Iraq, where Shia Muslims (about 60%) far outnumber Sunnis (about 30%) and religious ties with Iran are traditionally strong, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has still maintained close relations with the United States, visiting both the U.S. and Iran a week apart this month. In this situation, with the United States and Saudi Arabia launching airstrikes under the pretext of defeating Iran-aligned militias, the likelihood that Iraq will be drawn deeper into the conflict has grown.
The Iraqi presidency condemned the attacks on the country's paramilitary groups as "an unacceptable attack and a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty," while urging armed groups to stop attacking Iraq's neighboring countries.
It is also notable that Saudi Arabia has emerged as a direct attacker. Saudi Arabia had refrained from armed clashes with neighboring countries while focusing on attracting foreign investment and becoming a regional economic power, and it sought to improve relations with Iran. Displeased with the Iran war, Saudi Arabia in May also refused use of its airspace for a U.S. project to help merchant ships escape the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN said, "The implications of this situation are significant," adding, "Saudi Arabia is now in the eye of the storm, and the foreign strategy it has pursued is in jeopardy."
In the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia is also pushing to form an international coalition to counter attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The plan to counter the Houthis follows the group's declaration on the 20th that it would blockade Saudi Arabia at sea in the Red Sea, and it is seen as Saudi Arabia beginning to take part directly in the war as prolonged fighting disrupts oil exports and more.
The Middle East war shows signs of spreading to North Africa. On the 29th, a fire broke out due to a drone attack at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and transfer facility at Egypt's Damietta port on the Mediterranean. The perpetrator has not yet been identified, but because a U.S.-owned floating LNG facility is deployed at Damietta, it is likely the attack targeted U.S. infrastructure.
Since the war began, Iran has attacked neighboring countries hosting U.S. bases, and key facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been damaged, but this is the first attack on Egypt in the current war.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Iran was behind the attack. At the White House, when asked by reporters whether "a U.S.-owned liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facility off Egypt was hit by a drone attack and whether it is related to Iran," he said he had been briefed on it, adding, "It's a little more of what we've seen before, but the situation will be settled soon," and, "Now it's our turn to strike."
Foreign media noted that the attack targeting Egypt's LNG facility came after the United States and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-aligned militias in Iraq the previous day. The Guardian reported, "If it is confirmed that Iran or its allies attacked Egypt, that would mark a serious escalation of the conflict."
After the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war in June, the Middle East war briefly calmed before again spreading to neighboring countries. Recent armed clashes have pushed the war beyond fighting among the main parties to other countries in the region, heightening concerns of a wider conflict. Reuters said, "Now in its fifth month, the war with Iran is intensifying as it spreads beyond the main front lines to other countries in the region."