A Saudi official told CNN that the kingdom is preparing for multiple coordinated attacks by Iraqi militias operating alongside Iran-backed Houthi forces. The warning comes amid heightened regional tensions, with the Houthis and Iraqi Shiite militias increasingly coordinating under Iranian oversight.
A Saudi official told CNN early Friday morning that the kingdom is bracing for multiple coordinated attacks by Iraqi militias operating alongside Iran-backed Houthi forces. The statement, reported by the network, did not specify the nature of the expected attacks, timing, or specific targets, but framed the threat as imminent and multi-faceted. The warning came hours after a series of escalating Saudi alerts on Thursday night.
At 23:37 Jerusalem on Thursday, a source in the Saudi royal family told Al-Arabiya that Iran was coordinating with the Houthis and Iraqi militias for an attack on the kingdom. Within minutes, a second report emerged — a formal Saudi warning of an impending Iranian-led proxy attack, and then a third, more specific statement by a Saudi official who told Al-Hadath that the IRGC is directly coordinating the Houthi and Iraqi militia forces for an imminent strike, and warned that any such attack would trigger a direct Saudi retaliation on Iran (The Zioneer, 23:44 Jerusalem). The source corroboration evolved from a single royal-family source to multiple attributable statements, though all remain anonymous.
The broader backdrop includes a series of escalating Houthi strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure, including a coordinated dual-front assault on the Abqaiq oil facility on July 27 involving both Houthi and Iraqi militia drones (The Zioneer, July 27). As The Zioneer reported on July 30, regional sources told Reuters that the Houthis conducted an attack from Iraqi territory coordinated with local armed groups under IRGC oversight. Saudi Arabia has since announced the formation of a 14-nation maritime coalition to secure Red Sea shipping and has reportedly prepared for a large-scale naval and ground offensive in central Yemen to break the Houthi-imposed oil blockade (The Zioneer, July 31). Reports also emerged of a potential joint US-Israel-Gulf military operation against Iran and the Houthis (The Zioneer, July 25).
What remains unclear: the precise nature of the expected attacks — whether they involve drones, missiles, or ground incursions — and the timeline. The Saudi official's statement to CNN suggests Riyadh assesses the threat as imminent and is taking proactive defensive measures, but no independent confirmation of specific operational plans has emerged.
4 developments
- DevelopingSaudi Arabia prepares 'violent wave' of strikes against Houthis, warns of Iranian attack plans
- StrongSaudi media: Jordan on highest alert, warns Iraq of planned Hashd al-Shaabi attack
- DevelopingHananel Aviv: Iraqi Shiite Militias Join Houthis in Striking Saudi Oil Targets
- StrongHouthis attacked Saudi Arabia from Iraq this week, Reuters says
Source and signal
- Open-source intake