The United States and Saudi Arabia conducted coordinated overnight airstrikes targeting pro-Iranian militias across several Iraqi provinces on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
The Saudi Defense Ministry confirmed the operation was direct retaliation for recent drone attacks aimed at the kingdom's vital oil infrastructure.
Saudi defense officials said the strikes targeted militia assets linked to over 30 drone attacks orchestrated by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over the preceding three days.
Local sources within the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella organization of predominantly Shia militias integrated into Iraq's security apparatus, reported that at least ten militants were killed in the northern Nineveh province.
Escalation Follows Iranian Ballistic Missile Launches
The military escalation followed a series of Iranian ballistic missile launches directed at American military installations in Jordan early Wednesday morning.
All missiles were successfully intercepted, according to US Central Command.
The regional military flare-up triggered immediate volatility in global energy markets, pushing Brent crude oil prices up by 1.13 percent to 83 US dollars per barrel.
The Popular Mobilization Forces issued a statement addressing the overnight actions.
"We consider these attacks an extremely dangerous escalation, a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, and an attack on Iraq's official security institutions," the PMF stated.
US Central Command outlined its assessment of the regional threat environment in an official release.
"The IRGC and its terrorist allies must cease these attacks to avoid further response from the US military," CENTCOM stated.
