The US military announced Wednesday morning that American and Saudi fighter jets struck multiple logistics and weapons storage sites of pro-Iranian terror organizations across eastern Iraq, in response to more than 30 drone attacks launched under IRGC direction over the past 72 hours. The statement said the 'unjustified attacks against American forces have failed.'
The U.S. military announced at 05:21 Jerusalem Wednesday morning that American and Saudi fighter jets struck multiple logistics and weapons storage sites of pro-Iranian militias across eastern Iraq, in response to more than 30 drone attacks launched under Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) direction over the past 72 hours. The statement, attributed to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), characterized the strikes as a 'sharp response' and asserted that 'the unjustified attacks against American forces have failed.' The announcement provides the clearest official rationale for the joint operation, which had been reported earlier in the night.
The thread of reports began at 03:25 Jerusalem, when initial unconfirmed reports said U.S. and Saudi forces had conducted joint airstrikes on positions of the pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Forces. By 03:25, CENTCOM confirmed that the strikes targeted logistics sites of Iran-linked cells. Within minutes, the U.S. military confirmed joint strikes on Iran-backed terrorists. Subsequent reports specified that the operation was retaliation for more than 30 attacks ordered by the IRGC over the previous 72 hours. Footage emerged, and reports of casualties among militia members surfaced. The new official statement from CENTCOM now consolidates these details and provides a clear attribution and rationale.
As The Zioneer has reported, the IRGC operated covert cells in Iraq to strike Gulf neighbors, and earlier this week CENTCOM confirmed intercepting an IRGC preemptive strike on U.S. forces. The IRGC claimed to have directed cells to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. The joint U.S.-Saudi operation is part of the broader U.S. campaign to degrade Iranian-backed networks operating from Iraqi territory.
No details on casualties or damage from the strikes have been released. The footage of the strikes has not been independently verified. The full scope of the operation's impact on militia capabilities remains unclear.
8 developments
- ConfirmedUS and Saudi Arabia Strike IRGC-Backed Militia Targets in Eastern Iraq
- StrongPro-Iranian channels publish footage of Houthi strike on Saudi airport
- DevelopingReports: Iranian-backed militias drone-strike US bases in northern Iraq
- DevelopingIraqi militia Awliya al-Dam claims responsibility for attacks on Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
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