Reuters, citing informed Western and Iranian officials, revealed that during the recent war, Saudi Arabia carried out undeclared military strikes against Iran, in response to Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom.
According to the agency, these strikes represent the first time that Saudi Arabia is known to have carried out direct military action inside Iranian territory, an indication of a remarkable shift in the level of confrontation between the two parties.
The two Western officials reported that the strikes, carried out by the Saudi Air Force, took place in late March, and were described as “exchange strikes” in response to Saudi Arabia being bombed, without confirming the nature of the targets that were targeted.
A senior official in the Saudi Foreign Ministry did not directly confirm that the strikes were carried out, while the Iranian Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
According to Reuters, these developments reflect the expansion of the war that broke out after the American and Israeli raids on Iran on February 28, which pushed the region to unprecedented levels of undeclared escalation.
The agency added that during the war, Iran targeted the Gulf Cooperation Council countries with missiles and drones, including American bases, civilian facilities, and oil structures, in addition to closing the Strait of Hormuz, which led to widespread disruptions in global trade movement.
Iranian and Western officials revealed that Saudi Arabia informed Iran of the strikes, before intensive diplomatic contacts were launched and Saudi threats of further response, which later led to an undeclared understanding between the two sides to reduce the escalation.
In the same context, Ali Fayez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, said that the Saudi strikes and the subsequent understandings reflect a “pragmatic recognition” by both parties that uncontrolled escalation may lead to a wide-ranging regional war.
The report indicated that the informal de-escalation began a week before the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran on April 7.
Reuters also reported that the pace of attacks on Saudi Arabia decreased significantly after the end of March, after it exceeded 105 attacks using drones and missiles in one week.
She added that Saudi Arabia summoned the Iraqi ambassador on April 12 in protest against attacks launched from Iraqi territory, while Saudi-Iranian contacts continued in conjunction with escalating regional pressures.
This report comes hours after the Wall Street Journal revealed that the UAE, in turn, carried out secret strikes inside Iran, one of which targeted a refinery on the Iranian island of Lawan in early April, which led to the outbreak of a huge fire and the disruption of part of the facility’s production.
