Iraq militia strikes pulled Saudi Arabia deeper into US-Iran war
Why it matters: The cross-border attacks from Iraqi soil threatened Iraq-Saudi ties and opened a new front in a widening regional conflict.
Attacks by Iran-backed militias operating from Iraq pushed Saudi Arabia into a more direct role alongside the United States in the widening war with Iran, former Iraqi diplomat Feisal Istrabadi said in a PBS NewsHour interview. He described the American-Saudi strikes on militia targets in Iraq as a major escalation, saying it was the first known Saudi strike on Iraqi soil since the 1991 Kuwait war. Istrabadi said the militia attacks complicated efforts by Iraq’s new government to improve relations with Riyadh after recent outreach and a Washington visit by the Iraqi prime minister. He also said Iran exerts strong control over the militias through funding, arms and training.