Saudi Arabia`s Air Force carried out numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in late March, in retaliation for the attacks carried out in the country during the Iran War, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two Western officials and two Iranian officials.
According to the Reuters report, this is the first time that Saudi Arabia is known to have directly attacked Iran – reflective of how Riyadh is becoming bolder in defending itself. The attacks by the Saudi Air Force were assessed to have been carried out in late March, the two Western officials said. One said only that they were “tit-for-tat strikes in retaliation for when Saudi Arabia was hit.”
However, Reuters said that it was unable to confirm what the specific targets were. When requested for a comment, a senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not address directly whether strikes had been carried out and the Iranian foreign ministry did not respond.
The Saudi strikes underline how the conflict has widened in the West Asia and Gulf region in ways which were not previously acknowledged. In order to prevent the conflict from escalating further, Saudi Arabia has stayed in regular contact with Iran, including via Tehran`s ambassador in Riyadh.
As per Reuters, the Iranian and Western officials said Riyadh made Tehran aware of the strikes and this was followed by intensive diplomatic engagement and Saudi threats to retaliate further, which led to an understanding between the two countries to de-escalate.
It mentioned that the informal de-escalation took effect in the week before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in their broader conflict on April 7. One of the Iranian officials confirmed that the two countries had agreed to de-escalate, saying the move aimed to “cease hostilities, safeguard mutual interests, and prevent the escalation of tensions.”
Saudi Arabia`s strikes followed weeks of mounting tension. At a press conference in Riyadh on March 19, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom “reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary.” Reuters noted that three days later, Saudi Arabia declared Iran`s military attache and four embassy staff members personae non gratae.
The end of March saw the taking of a more hawkish approach and retaliating further led to an understanding to de-escalate, the Western sources said. As per the report, from more than 105 drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia in the week of March 25-31, the number fell to just over 25 between April 1-6, according to a Reuters tally of Saudi defence ministry statements.
It also mentioned that the projectiles fired at Saudi Arabia in the days leading up to the wider ceasefire were assessed by Western sources to have originated in Iraq and not Iran, thus indicating Tehran curtailed direct strikes while allied groups continued to operate.
As Saudi Arabia summoned Iraq`s ambassador on April 12 to protest against attacks from Iraqi soil, the Saudi-Iranian communication continued despite tensions which emerged at the start of the broader ceasefire between Iran and the US, when, according to the Saudi defence ministry reported 31 drones and 16 missiles fired at the kingdom on April 7-8.
The spike drove Riyadh to consider retaliating against Iran and Iraq, as Pakistan deployed fighter jets, the report mentioned.
The revelation of Saudi strikes comes shortly after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reportedly carried out covert strikes on Iran, marking a significant escalation in the Gulf monarchy`s role in the war, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier, citing people familiar with the matter.
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