An Iraqi source told Al Arabiya that US and Saudi forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq overnight, killing 12 pro-Iranian militia operatives. The strikes follow a series of joint US-Saudi operations against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq earlier this month.
An Iraqi source told Al Arabiya that joint US and Saudi airstrikes overnight killed 12 pro-Iranian militia operatives, the latest report in a rapidly unfolding story. The report, published at 09:47 Jerusalem, provides additional corroboration to earlier accounts from 07:17 Jerusalem, which had already identified the casualties as 12 Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF / Hashd al-Shaabi) members killed in the Nineveh and Diyala governorates, and circulated images of the slain operatives.
At 07:17 Jerusalem, the first reports emerged of overnight strikes. CENTCOM confirmed at 07:17 that American and Saudi jets conducted joint precision strikes on July 28 against logistics and weapons storage sites of Iran-linked terror organizations in eastern Iraq, in response to over 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks on US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. Abu Ali Express reported that the strikes hit seven Hashd al-Shaabi positions across Kirkuk, Nineveh, Karbala, Salah al-Din, Diyala, Basra, and Wasit, killing at least 10 operatives. The Zioneer analysis identified the targeted sites as Iranian-backed militias rather than the Iraqi Army. An Iraqi security source then told Al Araby TV that 12 PMF members were killed in Nineveh and Diyala, and Iraqi sources circulated images of the killed operatives. The evidence base has evolved from unverified initial reports through CENTCOM's official confirmation to multiple Iraqi media sources.
The operation is part of an ongoing US-Saudi campaign against Iranian-backed militias, as CENTCOM stated, triggered by a wave of over 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks. As The Zioneer reported, the strikes targeted logistics and weapons storage sites used by pro-Iranian terror organizations.
The exact casualty toll remains preliminary; the Al Arabiya report is from a single Iraqi source, though it aligns with earlier reports. No official Iraqi government or US Central Command statement has been issued for this specific update. The identities of the killed operatives and the full damage assessment are not yet confirmed.
9 developments
- DevelopingReports: Iranian-backed militias drone-strike US bases in northern Iraq
- DevelopingIraqi militia chief: 110 headquarters of Hashed al-Shaabi attacked during war with Iran
- DevelopingIranian reports: headquarters of the 7th and Eliy-asro attacked
- StrongIranian strikes target Kurdish opposition headquarters in northern Iraq, reports say
Source and signal
- Open-source intake