Saudi Arabia defends against drone strikes from ‘Iran-backed’ groups

Drones launched at Saudi, Jordan and Iraq suggest Iran, or linked groups, may be testing US as it mulls new strategy.Saudi Arabia has reported intercepting drones that targeted oil facilities in its eastern province and Riyadh.Saudi’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it “reserves the right to respond” to the attack, which it attributed to Iran-backed-armed-groups-in-Iraq" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="172695" data-entity-type="organization">Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq.Separately, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said in a statement that they had targeted Saudi crude oil transport infrastructure.It remains unclear whether the two incidents were coordinated or separate.The attack comes amid a lull in hostilities between the United States and Iran, with mediators suggesting the chances of a return to negotiations have risen.Following two weeks of intense hostilities, US officials have spoken of a change in strategy, and Washington has paused strikes on Iran.Iran has said it has also paused its attacks on US allies across the Gulf region.However, the drone attacks on Saudi and elsewhere suggest that Tehran may be testing the new US stance, and that the armed groups believed to be linked to Iran are not ready to follow suit.Aside from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq also reported drone attacks on Monday. Amman said it shot down two drones, while Iraqi security sources reported strikes on camps housing Iranian-Kurdish opposition fighters in the country’s north.The officials did not identify the source of either attack, but Jordan and northern Iraq were locations in which four US service members were killed over the past fortnight of conflict.Iraq later said in a statement that it was investigating the Saudi claim that the drones had been fired from its territory.