Iraq’s military has begun carrying out a security plan aimed at stopping attacks from its soil against neighboring countries, spokesman Sabah Al-Numan said on Thursday. «We will not allow any attack from inside Iraq targeting any neighboring country,» Al-Numan told Dijlah TV. His statement followed a senior Saudi official’s disclosure to Reuters that Iraqi militias were working with Yemen’s Houthis on strikes directed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Saudi Arabia separately elevated its security posture in response to the threat, according to multiple reports.
CNN reported that Saudi officials received intelligence suggesting coordinated attacks could target energy facilities, ports and airports in the very near future. A Saudi official cited by the network said authorities had tracked meetings that brought together Iraqi militia members, Houthi fighters and personnel from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, along with movements of drones and missiles. The official added that Saudi Arabia would take all necessary measures to respond while it continued efforts to reduce regional tensions. Intelligence underlying the alerts was shared among Saudi Arabia, the United States and regional partners.
The warnings arrive weeks after U.S. and Saudi forces conducted strikes on Iran-backed militia sites in eastern Iraq. U.S. Central Command stated that the July 28 operation hit logistics and weapons facilities directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to more than 30 IRGC-ordered drone attacks within the prior 72 hours. Central Command data placed the number of attempted attacks by Iran-aligned militias on U.S. citizens and facilities in Iraq at more than 600 between February and April 2026.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces, which include many Iran-backed Shia militias, reported at least 20 members killed in the late-July strikes, according to a BBC account. Saudi Arabia had blamed similar groups for launching drones against its oil infrastructure on July 27, Reuters reported at the time. Those incidents prompted the joint U.S.-Saudi action and highlighted ongoing friction over the use of Iraqi territory for cross-border operations.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal reported on August 4 that Baghdad faces renewed pressure from regional countries to restrain its Iran-backed militias after the groups expanded attacks beyond Iraq’s borders. A Wikipedia compilation of the Iran-Saudi Arabia proxy war traces such activity to the power vacuum that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the subsequent rise of Shia militias supported by Tehran. Iraqi officials have repeatedly stated they do not want their country to serve as a launchpad for strikes against neighbors.
Saudi officials have maintained contact with Iraqi counterparts to address the militia issue while pursuing de-escalation across the region. The latest intelligence reports have not been matched by any confirmed attacks as of August 7. Iraqi authorities continue to enforce the newly activated security measures at key border areas and internal sites linked to militia activity.
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