The Media Line: Iran-Backed Drones Keep Middle East on Edge Despite US-Iran Lull  

Iran-Backed Drones Keep Middle East on Edge Despite US-Iran Lull  

By The Media Line  

Drone attacks continued across the Middle East despite a pause in direct military strikes between the United States and Iran, as Iran-backed militias and proxy groups launched operations targeting Saudi Arabia, Iraq and areas near Israel’s border while Washington paused its campaign to allow ceasefire efforts to continue.  

The United States and Iran have suspended direct military engagements after Washington temporarily halted strikes to give international mediators, including Qatar and Pakistan, an opportunity to negotiate a new ceasefire.  

Even with the lull in direct fighting, regional violence has persisted.  

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted several drones launched from Iraqi territory that were targeting petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and the Riyadh region. Satellite imagery circulating on social media appeared to show damage at Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq oil processing facility in eastern Saudi Arabia. Separate video showed a large plume of smoke reportedly rising from the facility after the attack.  

In Jordan, the military said it intercepted multiple drones near the country’s border. Separately, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday morning that it shot down two drones near the Jordan border close to the Dead Sea. The military said the aircraft did not enter Israeli territory and that their origin remained under investigation.  

In Iraq, armed groups launched drones at camps housing Iranian Kurdish dissident groups in the country’s north.  

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for targeting Saudi oil infrastructure along the Red Sea coast. The Houthis also said they struck transit sites carrying oil westward to Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea oil port of Yanbu, describing the attacks as retaliation for what they called Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.  

Riyadh did not immediately comment on the Houthi claims. The statements followed several days of exchanges between the two sides after the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in the Red Sea, contributing to higher oil prices.  

Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on what it said were Houthi military facilities in Yemen’s Hodeidah port, saying the operations were intended to protect maritime shipping as regional tensions continued despite the pause in direct US-Iran military action.

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