RIYADH: Saudi Arabia remains committed to its relationship with Iraq and its people, and the recent strikes against Iran-backed group targets were not directed at the Iraqi government or the population, a senior Saudi official told Al Arabiya.
What the operation targeted, according to the senior official, was the capabilities of the militia that threatened the Kingdom’s national security, including attacks on civilian infrastructure and vital energy facilities, the unnamed official was cited as saying.
Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry earlier this week said it intercepted and destroyed a number of drones — coming from by Iran-backed terrorist militias —that attempted to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh.
The precision strikes and limited response were confined to warehouses belonging to the militias, which were being used to target Saudi territory and critical infrastructure, the official said.
These strikes were implemented only after exhausting all diplomatic and political measures and exercising the highest degree of restraint over recent months, the official added, and rejected claims by some parties inside and outside Iraq seeking to frame the situation in sectarian terms.
The official accused the militias of trying to damage Iraq’s interests and undermine its relations with Arab and Islamic countries in an attempt to turn Iraqi territory and resources into a platform for aggression and escalation against neighboring states
Such attempts would not deceive the Iraqi public, the official said, adding that those promoting sectarian narratives were opposed to regional rapprochement that could strengthen Iraq’s security and stability.
