{"id":123181,"date":"2026-05-20T14:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T14:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/123181\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T14:31:09","slug":"saudi-arabia-and-uae-say-drone-attacks-were-launched-from-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/123181\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia and UAE say drone attacks were launched from Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi visited the headquarters of Iraq\u2019s Joint Operations Command on May 17. (Iraq Prime Minister\u2019s Office<\/a>) <\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said that recent drone attacks against their countries originated from Iraq. \u201cThe United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday that six drones had been launched against it from Iraq in the past 48 hours, including \u200cone that caused a fire at a nuclear power plant in the Gulf state on Sunday,\u201d Reuters reported<\/a> on May 19. Saudi Arabia\u2019s Ministry of Defense also said<\/a> on May 18 that three drones had entered<\/a> Saudi Arabia\u2019s airspace from the direction of Iraq. However, Iraq said it did not detect<\/a> drones launched<\/a> from its territory at Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

The drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE come in the context of tensions in the region with Iran that have continued since a ceasefire primarily between the US and Iran began in early April. Iranian-linked drones and missiles have targeted<\/a> targets in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and within Iraq<\/a>, throughout the conflict, and the attacks<\/a> have continued after the ceasefire.<\/p>\n

New information has now emerged about the Iran-led attacks targeting countries in the region. Al-Monitor reported<\/a> on May 18 that the majority of attacks on Saudi Arabia originated from Iraqi territory. \u201cSince the start of the Iran conflict on Feb. 28, the bulk of attacks on the kingdom have come from Iraq, ostensibly carried out by Iran-backed Shiite militias, according to two diplomats based in the region and a senior Iraqi official who spoke exclusively to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.\u201d Saudi Arabia and Kuwait responded to the attacks \u201cmultiple times\u201d with strikes in Iraq, The Wall Street Journal reported<\/a> on May 13.<\/p>\n

The new reports have brought an increased spotlight on Baghdad and the threat of Iraqi militias. Saudi Arabia\u2019s Ministry of Defense noted that \u201cthree drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering the Kingdom\u2019s airspace coming from Iraqi airspace\u201d on May 17. In a statement from the ministry the next day, Riyadh said<\/a> it \u201creserves the right to respond.\u201d The attacks<\/a> on Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been condemned<\/a> across the Middle East, including by the Iraqi government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its strong condemnation of the attack on the sisterly United Arab Emirates by a drone, which resulted in a fire breaking out in an electrical generator outside the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region,\u201d Iraq\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said<\/a> on May 18. Iraq\u2019s Prime Minister\u2019s Office also condemned the attack on the UAE in a May 19 statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After the drone attack on Saudi Arabia, Iraq\u2019s foreign ministry said<\/a> on May 18 that its air defense systems did not detect the drones. \u201cIn this context, the Ministry calls upon the relevant authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to cooperate and exchange relevant information to contribute to obtaining accurate intelligence that enhances security and stability in both brotherly countries,\u201d the ministry added<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Iraq is attempting<\/a> to shore up its ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in the wake of the incidents, an effort that comes amid potential negotiations<\/a> with Saudi Arabia to restore the Iraqi Pipeline in Saudi Arabia as a new oil export route. However, Iraq\u2019s Security Media Cell and Ministry of Defense provided no further details on the incidents. The drone attack could put Iraq\u2019s new prime minister, Ali al Zaidi, under \u201cimmediate pressure,\u201d The Arab Weekly argued<\/a> on May 19.<\/p>\n

Iraq\u2019s new government is also facing pressure on other fronts. The US Justice Department announced<\/a> the arrest of Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al Saadi on May 15. In addition to being charged with involvement in 20 attacks and attempted attacks in the US and Europe, Saadi is accused<\/a> of being a member of Kataib Hezbollah, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. On May 19, a Kataib Hezbollah spokesperson denied<\/a> that Saadi was a member of the group.<\/p>\n

A report at Iraq\u2019s Shafaq News noted<\/a> that the country\u2019s new prime minister is facing pressure to rein in the Iranian-backed militias that are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF is an official paramilitary force mostly comprised of Iran-backed militias, several of which have been sanctioned by the US as terrorist groups. Recent US efforts against the groups have included new offers of rewards<\/a> for information on four militia leaders. The latest reward was offered<\/a> on May 5 for Harakat<\/a> Hezbollah al Nujaba leader Akram Abbas al Kabi.<\/p>\n

Iraq also continues<\/a> to focus on reports<\/a> of a secret Israeli base that was established in the country\u2019s southern desert during the conflict with Iran. The New York Times reported<\/a> on May 17 about a second base that may have been established in Iraq in 2025.<\/p>\n

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD\u2019s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).<\/p>\n

Tags: Iran<\/a>, Iraq<\/a>, Iraqi militias<\/a>, PMF<\/a>, Saudi Arabia<\/a>, uae<\/a>, US-Iraq<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi visited the headquarters of Iraq\u2019s Joint Operations Command on May 17. (Iraq…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[14],"tags":[34,94,2556,2557,50,709,27961],"class_list":["post-123181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iraq","tag-iran","tag-iraq","tag-iraqi-militias","tag-pmf","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-uae","tag-us-iraq"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116607391258355924","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}