Saudi fighter jets struck targets linked to Iran-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq during the recent regional war, while retaliatory strikes were also launched from Kuwaiti territory into Iraq, Reuters reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.
According to Reuters, the strikes formed part of a broader and largely undisclosed military response during the conflict that erupted after U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and later spread across the Middle East.
The report, based on accounts from Iraqi security and military officials, a Western official and people briefed on the matter, said Saudi air force fighter jets targeted militia positions near the kingdom’s northern border with Iraq. Some of the strikes reportedly occurred around the time of the April 7 U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
The strikes allegedly focused on sites used to launch drone and missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Iraqi sources cited by Reuters said rocket attacks were launched on at least two occasions from Kuwaiti territory into Iraq. One strike in southern Iraq reportedly killed several fighters and destroyed a communications and drone operations facility used by the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah.
Reuters said it could not independently determine whether the rockets fired from Kuwait were launched by Kuwaiti forces or by the U.S. military, which maintains a significant presence there. The U.S. military declined to comment, while Kuwaiti authorities and the Iraqi government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Saudi foreign ministry official told Reuters that Riyadh sought de-escalation, self-restraint and the “reduction of tensions in pursuit of the stability, security and prosperity of the region,” but did not directly address the reported strikes in Iraq. Kataib Hezbollah also did not immediately comment.
Reuters had earlier reported that Saudi Arabia launched strikes directly on Iran during the conflict in retaliation for attacks on the kingdom, marking the first known Saudi strikes on Iranian territory. The UAE also reportedly carried out strikes on Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
The report said hundreds of drones targeting Gulf states were launched from Iraq during the conflict. Militia-linked Telegram channels repeatedly claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, though Reuters said it could not independently verify those statements.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reportedly intensified pressure on Baghdad after repeated cross-border attacks. Kuwait summoned Iraq’s representative three times during the war, while Saudi Arabia summoned Iraq’s ambassador on April 12 to protest attacks allegedly launched by Iran-backed groups.
“They are gathering information on what has been damaged, what is still working. They are preparing for the next strike,” a person briefed on the matter told Reuters regarding militia drone activity near the borders with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.