Reuters: Saudi Official Warns of Potential Two-Front Attack from Iran-Backed Groups
A senior Saudi official said intelligence from Saudi Arabia, the US and other regional countries points to possible coordinated attacks targeting civilian and economic sites
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks from Iraqi militias north of the kingdom and Yemen’s Houthis from the south, allegedly under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a senior Saudi official said to Reuters on Friday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said intelligence reports from Saudi Arabia, the United States and other regional countries indicated that civilian and economic sites could be targeted, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.
According to the official, Saudi Arabia had observed drones and missiles being moved, suggesting coordinated operations from both directions. Riyadh was prepared to take all necessary measures in response to “any aggression.”
The warning comes as Saudi Arabia faces increasing security pressures linked to the wider regional conflict.
Saudi Arabia has faced attacks from Yemen’s Houthis and Iraqi militias. In late July, Riyadh carried out strikes with US Central Command against Iran-backed groups in Iraq after blaming them for drone attacks on its oil facilities.
Iraqi militias said they would respond to the Saudi strikes. The Saudi official said the latest reported threats were “particularly alarming” as Riyadh continued to pursue de-escalation and a negotiated settlement.
The official added that contacts with all parties, including Iran, as well as mediation efforts, appeared to be moving “in the right direction.”
The official said the planned attacks could be intended to disrupt those diplomatic efforts.
The warning followed a Houthi attack on southern Saudi Arabia on Thursday that wounded 11 civilians, according to a Saudi military official.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said early Friday that the attack in southern Najran Province injured seven Saudis, one Yemeni, two Egyptians and one Pakistani national.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis or Iran on the coalition’s statement.
The Houthis claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack on Najran airport, as part of a broader escalation in which the Iran-aligned group has struck Saudi military, infrastructure and shipping targets.
The Yemeni government also said the Houthis killed at least 17 Yemeni government troops on Thursday after attacking what they described as Saudi-backed military deployments in the Yemeni provinces of Marib and Hadramout.
The Saudi warning comes as Riyadh continues efforts aimed at de-escalation and a negotiated settlement.
The reported threats also emerge amid diplomatic efforts involving Gulf states and Iran, with regional officials indicating that the sides were moving toward an arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz temporarily, with the aim of enabling broader talks to bring the Iran war to an end.
The Saudi official said contacts and mediation efforts appeared to be progressing, while warning that any planned attacks could undermine those efforts.
Saudi Arabia’s decade-old conflict with the Tehran-aligned Houthis has increasingly become intertwined with the wider regional war, while Houthi actions, including a Red Sea blockade that has disrupted Saudi oil exports, have raised the stakes of the broader confrontation.