BAGHDAD (AP) – Explosive drones aimed at Saudi Arabia’s royal palace in the kingdom’s capital last month were launched from inside Iraq, a senior militia official said supported in Iran in Baghdad and a US official.
Speaking to The Associated Press this week, the militia official said three drones were launched from the Iraqi-Saudi border areas by a relatively unknown faction with support from Iran to Iraq and that they crashed. against the royal complex in Riyadh on 23 January, which aggravated regional tensions.
Attacks in the Saudi capital have been sporadic amid the kingdom’s long war against Youthi rebel neighbors in Yemen. Earlier this month, the rebels aimed at an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia with bomb-laden drones, prompting a civilian plane to burn down the asphalt.
Houthi rebels aligned with Iran, however, denied the attack led by Yamama Palace, Saudi Arabia, on January 23rd.
Comments from a senior Iraqi militia official mark the first time a Iran-backed group has acknowledged that Iraq was the source of the attack and points to the challenge Baghdad faces in stopping the attacks. of the factions of the militias supported by Iran.
It was followed by a claim of responsibility allegedly issued by a little-known group called Awliya Wa’ad al-Haq, or “The Brigades of True Promise,” which circulated on social media, and called retaliation for a claimed suicide attack. by the Islamic State group. to a Baghdad shopping district on January 21st.
The militia official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly about the attack, said the drones came “from parts of Iran and gathered in Iraq and were launched from Iraq. ” He did not disclose where the drones were launched along the border and did not provide further details about the group claiming the attack.
Iran-backed groups have erupted significantly since the Washington-led strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad more than a year ago. Both were key to controlling and controlling a wide range of Iran-backed groups operating in Iraq.
Since his death, militias have become increasingly undisciplined and disparate. Some Washington-based analysts argue that the militias have only disassociated themselves to allow them to claim attacks with different names to mask their involvement.
A U.S. official said Washington believes the Jan. 23 attack on Yamama Palace was launched from inside Iraq. The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not explain or say how the United States came to this conclusion.
An Iraqi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under the regulations, said U.S. intelligence was shared with the Iraqi government.
Launching a strike from Iraq would pose a challenge to Saudi air defenses, now focused on threats from northeastern Iran and southern Yemen. These drones are also small enough and fly enough on the ground not to be picked up on the radar.
The attack comes as Iraq seeks to deepen economic ties with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies through various investment projects. Last week, Iraqi President Barham Salih visited the United Arab Emirates and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein visited Saudi Arabia this week, apparently to discuss the attack.
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Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington and Samya Kullab in Baghdad contributed to this report.