Saudi Arabia Launched Covert Attacks on Iran as Regional War Widened: Report

The Saudi Arabian Air Force carried out several unpublicized strikes on Iran in late March in retaliation for attacks carried out in the country during the Iran War, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two Western officials and two Iranian officials. According to the Reuters report, this is the first known incident of Saudi Arabia directly attacking Iran; This shows how Riyadh has become bolder in defending itself. Two Western officials said the attacks by the Saudi Air Force were assessed to have been carried out in late March. One simply said these were “tit-for-tat attacks in retaliation for the Saudi Arabia shooting.” However, Reuters said it could not confirm what the specific targets were. When asked for comment, a senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not directly address whether the attacks had been carried out, and Iran’s foreign ministry did not respond.

The Saudi attacks show how the conflict is expanding in West Asia and the Gulf region in ways not previously acknowledged. To prevent further escalation of the conflict, Saudi Arabia remained in regular contact with Iran, including through Tehran’s ambassador in Riyadh. According to Reuters, Iranian and Western officials said Riyadh informed Tehran of the attacks, which was followed by intense diplomatic interaction and threats of further Saudi retaliation, leading to an understanding between the two countries to de-escalate tensions. The informal de-escalation took effect the week before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in their broader conflict on April 7, the report said. An Iranian official confirmed that the two countries agreed to reduce tensions, saying the move was aimed at “stopping hostilities, protecting mutual interests and preventing tensions from escalating.” Saudi Arabia’s attacks come after weeks of rising tensions.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said at a press conference in Riyadh on March 19 that the kingdom “reserves the right to take military action if deemed necessary.” Reuters noted that three days later, Saudi Arabia declared Iran’s military attaché and four embassy staff persona non grata. Western sources said a more hawkish approach was adopted by the end of March and further retaliation led to an understanding of de-escalation. From more than 105 drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia in the week of March 25-31, that number dropped to just over 25 between April 1-6, according to the report, according to a Reuters tally of Saudi defense ministry statements. He also noted that the bullets fired at Saudi Arabia in the days leading up to the extension of the ceasefire were assessed by Western sources to have originated in Iraq, not Iran, indicating that Tehran had reduced direct attacks while allied groups continued their activities.

Saudi Arabia summoned Iraq’s ambassador on April 12 to protest attacks from Iraqi territory, while Saudi-Iranian communications continued despite tensions that arose at the start of the broader ceasefire between Iran and the United States, in which the Saudi defense ministry reported that 31 drones and 16 missiles were fired at the kingdom on April 7-8. The report stated that this increase pushed Riyadh to consider retaliating against Iran and Iraq due to Pakistan’s deployment of warplanes. The revelation of the Saudi attacks came shortly after it was reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had carried out covert attacks on Iran, The Wall Street Journal previously reported, citing sources familiar with the matter; this marked a significant increase in the Gulf monarchy’s role in the war.