The U.S. military announced that U.S. and Saudi Arabian fighter jets carried out a joint operation early Wednesday, July 29, targeting positions of militias backed by the Iranian regime in Iraq. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes were conducted in response to more than 30 drone attacks launched over the previous 72 hours against U.S. forces and Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure.
CENTCOM said in a statement that the operation targeted terrorists aligned with Iran’s regime—groups that, according to the command, had been directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy facilities.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 29, 2026
According to the statement, U.S. and Saudi aircraft carried out precision strikes against multiple logistics centers, weapons depots, and positions belonging to these groups in several areas of eastern Iraq. CENTCOM also emphasized that the recent attacks against U.S. forces had been unsuccessful.
U.S. Central Command stated that Iran-aligned militias had attempted more than 600 attacks against American citizens and facilities between February and April 2026. The command warned that if the attacks continue, the IRGC and its proxy groups will face further military responses from the United States.
Reports of Casualties Among Popular Mobilization Forces
At the same time, the state-run Fars News Agency, citing Iraqi and “local sources,” reported that several bases of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the provinces of Karbala, Nineveh, and Diyala were targeted in the U.S.-Saudi strikes. According to the report, the headquarters of Brigade 30 in the Nineveh Plains and the second headquarters of the Badr Organization in Diyala Province were among the targets.
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Fars also reported that seven members of PMF Brigade 30 were killed. It added that fighter jets were seen flying over Karbala, Babil, and Najaf, while several explosions were heard south of Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s official news agency reported that two members of the Popular Mobilization Forces were wounded in an airstrike on the organization’s command headquarters in Basra. The PMF also said in a statement that the attacks killed and injured several of its members and caused material damage to several buildings.
Saudi Arabia: We Are Not Seeking Escalation
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense announced that the kingdom’s armed forces, in coordination with U.S. Central Command, carried out targeted strikes against groups backed by the Iranian regime in Iraq. Riyadh holds these groups responsible for the recent drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
The ministry stressed that Saudi Arabia is not seeking escalation but will respond to any aggression against its security and interests.
The announcement came just hours after Riyadh reported intercepting and destroying several drones launched from Iraqi territory. According to Saudi officials, this was the second such drone attack in less than two days.
Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense, also said on Tuesday that the intercepted drones had been launched by groups backed by the Iranian regime in Iraq, adding that Saudi Arabia reserves the right to respond at a time and place of its choosing.
Iranian Regime Rejects the Allegations
The Iranian regime, however, denied any role in the attacks against Saudi targets. An unnamed Iranian military official told Iranian state television on Wednesday that attributing the attacks on U.S. and Saudi interests to Iran was “a major miscalculation.”
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the recent drone attacks, saying that Baghdad would not allow Iraqi territory to be used to launch attacks against neighboring countries.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are a coalition of predominantly Shiite militias that has been formally integrated into Iraq’s security forces and includes several groups closely aligned with the Iranian regime.
