Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom after the start of the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported on May 12, citing two Western officials briefed on the matter and two Iranian officials.
The Saudi attacks marked the first time that the kingdom is known to have directly carried out military action on Iranian territories.
The attacks, launched by the Saudi Air Force, were assessed to have been carried out in late March, the two Western officials told the news agency.
One of the officials noted that the attacks were only “tit-for-tat strikes in retaliation for when Saudi [Arabia] was hit” by the Islamic Republic.
Neither Saudi Arabia, nor Iran has commented on Reuters’ report, which was not surprising considering that there was evidence of attacks by the kingdom.
Before and after the start of the war there were conflicting reports about the position of Saudi Arabia, with some reports claiming that the kingdom was pushing for a diplomatic solution, and others alleging that it was encouraging the U.S. to attack Iran.
The attacks revealed by Reuters may be related to a number of Chinese-made Wing Loong II combat drones, which were shot down by Iran late March and early in April.
Needless to say, neither the U.S. or Israel militias operate Wing Loong II drones. Among the closest known operators of this type are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
At the time, Jennifer Griffin, Fox News’ Chief National Security Correspondent, reported that the drone was not sent by Saudi Arabia, leaving the UAE as the last suspected operator. However, it was reported later that Emirate fighter jets attacked Iran, which suggests that it was Saudi Arabia which used the drone, likely to maintain plausible deniability.
Saudi Arabia was hit hard by Iran during the war. Several energy facilities were hit, although the Islamic Republic in some cases claimed that it was not responsible and blamed Israel.
The U.S. military also took some of its heaviest losses during the war in Prince Sultan Air Base at the heart of the kingdom, where several warplanes, including an E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control aircraft, were destroyed or damaged.
Iran certainly knew about the Saudi attack, and likely opted to respond without making the issue public in order to avoid further escalation.
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