Saudi Arabia said on Friday that military strikes carried out in Iraq this week were directed exclusively at Iran-backed armed groups blamed for attacks on the kingdom, stressing that the operation was not intended to target the Iraqi state or its citizens.
Saudi sources said that the strikes hit facilities used by the militias to store military equipment, saying the sites were connected to recent drone attacks on Saudi oil installations and other strategic infrastructure.
One source said Riyadh had resorted to military action only after diplomatic contacts and political efforts failed to halt the attacks.
According to an official, the armed groups were using Iraqi territory as a base to threaten neighboring countries, a practice he said was also harming Iraq's own interests and weakening its relations with Arab and Islamic states.
Sources said Saudi Arabia remained committed to its relationship with Iraq and distinguished between the Iraqi government and the militias operating on its territory. They said the objective of the operation was to reduce the groups' ability to launch further attacks against Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi sources also dismissed attempts to portray the strikes through a sectarian lens, saying such narratives were intended to fuel divisions and undermine Iraq's security and stability.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense had announced on Wednesday that its armed forces, working alongside the US Central Command (CENTCOM), had conducted precision strikes against Iran-backed militia positions in Iraq.
Saudi authorities said the operation followed a series of drone attacks intercepted earlier this week by the kingdom's air defenses. The drones were aimed at oil facilities in the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region.
Saudi Arabia has maintained that it does not seek a broader military confrontation but will respond to attacks targeting its territory, energy infrastructure and civilian facilities.
