The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia joined the United States in attacking fighters aligned with Iran, the Gulf state’s Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia struck Iran-linked militias based in Iraq, the kingdom said. The strikes come in response to attacks from the militants on the oil and gas facilities in the kingdom. Defense ministry officials said the strikes were conducted in coordination with U.S. Central Command, the military arm overseeing operations in the Middle East.
The strikes on Wednesday confirmed by Saudi officials mark the country’s first announced foray into the war President Donald Trump and ally Israel launched on the Islamic Republic of Iran on Feb. 28.
"This reaffirms the Kingdom's legitimate right to defend itself
and its capabilities, while reserving the right to respond at the appropriate time and place, in line with the Almighty's words," Defense Ministry officials said in a statement on their official X account.
Saudi forces "conducted precise and targeted strikes against objectives belonging to those militias located on the territory of the Republic of Iraq and linked to the attacks on petroleum facilities in the Kingdom."
The U.S. Central Command confirmed the coordinated strikes with Saudi fighter jets, saying they targeted "Iran-aligned terrorists" in the eastern part of Iraq. According to military officials, the attacks came in response to Iran-directed attacks on U.S. assets in the region.
"The unwarranted attacks against U.S. forces were not successful," Central Command said in a statement. "The IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further U.S. military response."
Central Command said that there were 600 such attempted attacks on U.S. assets in the region in the first two months of the war.
USA TODAY has reached out for more information on how many Iran-linked attacks on U.S. assets there have been since April.
At least 18 U.S. service members have died in the Iran war and hundreds have been injured, according to officials.
Saudi officials promised the strikes will not mark an escalation in the fighting but the attacks come at a point where U.S.-Iranian peace negotiations appear to have fallen apart, though Trump has claimed "good talks" were happening amid off-again, on-again bombing campaigns.
The strikes mark the kingdom’s first announced foray into the fighting but Reuters, citing unnamed Western and Iranian officials, has previously reported that Saudi Arabia launched covert strikes on the Islamic republic.
USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for comments on Saudi Arabia's joint strikes with the U.S. military.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Saudi Arabia joins US fight against Iran-linked fighters
