Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia from Iraqi territory this week in coordination with Iraqi armed groups, according to assessments by Saudi Arabia and regional partners cited by two officials in the region. The reported cooperation points to deeper coordination among Iran-aligned groups operating across the Middle East.
The assessments differ from the official accounts of the attacks. Saudi Arabia has blamed Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran for strikes launched from Iraq, while the Houthis have separately claimed responsibility for attacks on the kingdom. Iraq has said it is investigating the allegations.
Attacks Target Saudi Oil Facilities
The reported attacks included strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province, the kingdom’s main crude-producing hub. The attacks have raised concerns about the growing ability of Iran-aligned groups to coordinate operations across borders and threaten U.S. allies in the region.
According to the two regional officials cited by Reuters, some of the attacks launched from Iraqi territory involved both Iraqi armed groups and Houthi members and were carried out under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Saudi Arabia responded on Wednesday with joint airstrikes alongside the United States against sites in Iraq that Riyadh said were connected to the attacks. Saudi authorities officially attributed the attacks to Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran rather than publicly identifying the Houthis as participants in the operations.
Following the Saudi-U.S. strikes, Iran-aligned media reported the deaths of IRGC members, Iraqi fighters and at least one Houthi member.
Houthis and Iraqi Groups Show Closer Coordination
The reported involvement of the Houthis in attacks launched from Iraq would represent a further development in cooperation among groups associated with Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance.
Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow with Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programme, said the development indicated that coordination was expanding beyond relationships between individual groups and Iran.
“There is now direct training and coordination between members of the Axis of Resistance themselves, not just between them and Iran,”
The assessment comes after years of U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran-aligned groups across the region. Regional analysts say the latest developments demonstrate that these groups continue to retain the ability to cooperate and inflict damage despite those campaigns.
Why Iraq Has Become Important for Iran-Aligned Groups
Analysts say Iraq has become an increasingly important geographical node for Iran-aligned groups, particularly following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the severe weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iraq’s geography and large areas of open territory can provide opportunities for groups seeking to conceal equipment and launch covert operations. The country also shares a border of more than 800 kilometres, or roughly 500 miles, with Saudi Arabia, making the frontier difficult to police.
That proximity could make Iraqi territory strategically useful for attacks against Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Officials in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have previously blamed hundreds of attacks on groups operating from Iraq. Those incidents have included a March drone attack on the U.S. embassy in Riyadh and a May strike on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant.
Long History of Houthi-Iraqi Group Ties
Cooperation between Yemen’s Houthis and Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups is not new. The relationship has been particularly strong with Kataib Hezbollah, described in the report as the most heavily armed and organised of Iraq’s Iran-aligned factions.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi announced in 2024 that the Houthis and Iraqi factions had established a joint operations room. Later that year, the two sides announced their first joint operation targeting Israel.
The Houthis have also maintained a presence in Iraq through offices and a formal representative, Ahmed al-Sharafi. He has held publicised meetings with Iran-aligned Iraqi Shi’ite political parties and armed factions.
Houthi symbols and posters bearing the group’s slogan have also appeared in parts of Baghdad for years, reflecting its established presence in the country.
Saudi Arabia and Houthis Give Different Accounts
The latest attacks have produced sharply different accounts from the parties involved.
Saudi Arabia has blamed Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran for the attacks and joined the United States in strikes against Iraqi sites that it said were linked to the operations. The Houthis, meanwhile, have said they carried out attacks against Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have described their attacks as retaliation for Saudi actions in Yemen and said they are intended to break what they call a “siege” imposed by Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has rejected that characterization and pointed to the arrival of dozens of ships at Houthi-controlled ports this year as evidence against the claim.
The Saudi, Iranian and Iraqi governments did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The Houthis also did not respond to requests for comment.
Iraq Says It Is Investigating
Iraq has said it is investigating allegations that attacks on neighbouring Arab countries were launched from its territory. Critics, however, argue that Baghdad has demonstrated limited ability to prevent armed factions operating independently of the state from conducting such operations.
The issue has the potential to further complicate Iraq’s relationships with its Gulf neighbours, particularly as Baghdad faces pressure to bring armed groups under greater state control.
Saudi-U.S. Strikes and Iraq’s Political Challenge
Saudi Arabia carried out the joint strikes with the United States on Wednesday after the attacks on its territory. The military action was followed by a political development involving Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
Zaidi cancelled a planned Thursday visit to Saudi Arabia, where he had been expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, following the Saudi strikes on Iraq.
At the same time, Zaidi has outlined an ambitious plan to place all weapons under state control by the end of September. The proposal faces opposition from some armed factions, adding another layer to the challenge of addressing attacks allegedly launched from Iraqi territory.
What the Reported Houthi-Iraq Cooperation Means
The reported participation of Houthi members alongside Iraqi armed groups would suggest a more integrated regional network among Iran-aligned factions. Rather than relying only on direct coordination with Iran, the groups may increasingly be working with one another across national borders.
The development also highlights Iraq’s growing strategic importance within that network. With the regional balance altered by the fall of Assad in Syria and Hezbollah’s weakening in Lebanon, analysts say Iraq is playing a more prominent role as a base and transit point for Iran-aligned groups.
For Saudi Arabia, the reported use of Iraqi territory presents an additional security challenge because of the country’s long and difficult-to-police border with Iraq. It also increases the potential risks to Saudi energy infrastructure, including facilities in the kingdom’s eastern province.
The latest episode therefore extends beyond the immediate exchange of attacks. It brings together the activities of the Houthis in Yemen, Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions and the IRGC while placing additional pressure on Iraq to demonstrate control over armed groups operating from its territory.
Source: Reuters
