Even as the United States and Iran stepped back from direct military confrontation, drone attacks carried out by Iran-backed proxy groups kept the Middle East in a state of tension, with strikes hitting or targeting sites in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and near Israel’s border.
Washington temporarily suspended its military strikes to give international mediators — including Qatar and Pakistan — a chance to negotiate a ceasefire agreement. Both the U.S. and Iran have paused direct military action, but that pause has not quieted the broader region.
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry announced that it successfully intercepted a number of drones launched from Iraqi territory, aimed at petroleum infrastructure in the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region. Images circulating on social media, including satellite photos, appeared to show damage at Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq oil processing facility in eastern Saudi Arabia. Separate footage showed a large column of smoke rising from the site following the attack.
Jordan’s military reported intercepting several drones near its border. On Monday morning, the Israel Defense Forces announced it had shot down two drones close to the Jordan border near the Dead Sea. Israeli officials said the aircraft never crossed into Israeli airspace, and the investigation into their origin is ongoing.
In northern Iraq, armed groups directed drone strikes at camps where Iranian Kurdish dissident organizations are based.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed credit for striking Saudi oil infrastructure along the Red Sea coast. The Houthis said they also hit transit points used to move oil westward toward Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea oil export terminal at Yanbu. They described the attacks as a response to what they characterized as Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the Houthi claims. The latest strikes followed several days of back-and-forth between the two sides after the Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea oil operations — a move that has contributed to rising oil prices.
In response, Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on what it described as Houthi military installations at Yemen’s Hodeidah port, stating the goal was to safeguard maritime shipping lanes as regional instability persisted despite the broader US-Iran military pause.
