Has Saudi Arabia's Patience Run Out? Retaliation Targets Iran-Backed Proxies

As Saudi Arabia, which had previously exercised restraint against Iranian attacks, publicly disclosed military actions indirectly targeting Iran, attention is focused on the potential fallout on the ongoing war.

The U.S. Central Command announced on X in the early hours of the 29th (local time in Iran) that it "conducted precision airstrikes in Iraq in response to Iran-aligned terrorists," adding that "they attacked U.S. and Saudi energy infrastructure under the direction of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."

Around the same time, the Saudi Ministry of Defense stated, "We carried out targeted airstrikes jointly with the U.S. against an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq," and noted that "they were involved in attacks on Saudi oil facilities."

Earlier, the Saudi military announced that it had intercepted multiple drones launched from Iraq targeting an oil facility in eastern Saudi Arabia in the early hours of the day.

Since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, Saudi Arabia has been a target of Iranian retaliatory strikes.

However, out of concern for escalation, Saudi Arabia appeared reluctant to launch direct counterattacks against Iran.

While the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which bore the brunt of Iranian attacks, advocated for an active military offense, interpretations suggested that relations between the two countries strained as Saudi Arabia remained lukewarm on the matter.

Some Western media outlets repeatedly reported that the UAE and Saudi Arabia participated in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, but they have never confirmed these reports.

Although U.S.-Iran hostilities resumed earlier this month, prompting Iran to fire missiles and drones at countries in the Middle East once again, Saudi Arabia was not the primary target.

While Saudi Arabia did not directly attack the Iranian mainland on this day, its public finger-pointing at "Iranian backing" appears to stem from a judgment that recent activities by Iranian-sponsored proxy forces have crossed the line.

After declaring a blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, the Houthi movement in Yemen actually attacked a Saudi oil tanker, and last week, Saudi Arabia strongly retaliated against the Houthi attacks on oil facilities.

In Iraq, which shares a border with Saudi Arabia, pro-Iranian militias began launching drones targeting oil facilities.

While avoiding a direct clash with Iran, Saudi Arabia has essentially sent a message demanding that Iran respect red lines by taking a hardline stance against proxy forces threatening its national security, particularly its oil infrastructure.

If Iran fails to accept this message, the U.S.-Iran war could evolve into a clash between Saudi Arabia and Iran's proxy forces, the "Axis of Resistance," opening a second front stretching through Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

Regarding Saudi Arabia's military response targeting Iranian proxies, Anne Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the think tank Arab Gulf States Institute, told the Washington Post (WP) that "Saudi Arabia feels pressure to take more military steps to restore deterrence."

She explained that "Saudi Arabia's strikes in Yemen and Iraq remain at a relatively controlled level" and that "they are closer to the realm of sending a message to Iran and regional proxies."

While Iran boasts of "brotherhood" with these members of the Axis of Resistance, it maintains that they operate independently, leaving the possibility of escalation still wide open.

Commenting on the Saudi strikes to the WP, Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), analyzed that "it represents a 'significant step' for Saudi Arabia and signals that it could lead to deeper engagement going forward."

(Photo: U.S. Central Command X account, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.