US, Saudi forces strike 'Iran-backed' militants in Iraq

US and Saudi warplanes struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq on Tuesday, the US military said, targeting groups blamed for more than two dozen drone attacks on American forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

CENTCOM said the strikes hit "Iran-aligned terrorists" directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Why did the US and Saudi Arabia strike Iran-backed militants in Iraq?

The US and Saudi Arabia struck after "Iran-backed" militants launched more than two dozen drone attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities in recent days. CENTCOM said the strikes targeted "Iran-aligned terrorists" directed by the IRGC, warning that further attacks would draw more US military action.

What did Saudi Arabia say about its role in the strikes?

Saudi Arabia confirmed it took part in the operation. Its defense ministry said the strikes hit targets belonging to militias on Iraqi territory linked to attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities. The ministry added that its forces had intercepted drones aimed at oil sites in the east, blaming Iran-backed groups based in Iraq.

Riyadh had called on the Iraqi government a day earlier to stop attacks originating from its territory. Baghdad responded by ordering an investigation into the source of the strikes.

Did Iran attempt to strike US forces directly?

CENTCOM said earlier on Tuesday that Iran had fired multiple ballistic missiles in what it called an attempted surprise attack on US forces stationed across the Middle East. All of the missiles were intercepted, according to the US military.

What led up to the latest round of strikes?

The renewed fighting followed a weekend pause, after nearly two weeks of nightly US strikes on Iran. During that period, Tehran had launched repeated missile and drone salvos at Washington's allies across the Gulf.