Iraqi security forces have launched a large-scale search-and-pursuit operation across the southern province of Maysan to track down those responsible for drone attacks on oil facilities inside Saudi Arabia, a security source told Shafaq News on Saturday.
According to the source, who spoke to Shafaq News, the operation could be reinforced by the elite Counter-Terrorism Service as forces sweep the province for suspects.
The manhunt began only hours after Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Falih al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the Maysan Operations Command — the regional military command responsible for the province — and removed its commander from his post. Shafaq News' source said al-Zaidi acted after authorities concluded the attacks had been launched from a site inside Maysan.
Saudi Arabia had announced that its East–West pipeline, which carries crude across the kingdom toward its Red Sea coast, was struck by several drones launched from Iraq in the Riyadh and Medina regions. The strikes caused casualties and property damage and forced a temporary, precautionary shutdown of the line, Shafaq News reported. Riyadh said it reserved the right to take any measures needed to protect its sovereignty, security, and installations.
The September strikes follow a near-identical episode in late July, when Saudi Arabia intercepted drones launched from Iraq toward oil facilities in the Riyadh and Eastern regions. In response, Saudi forces — coordinating with US Central Command (CENTCOM) — carried out strikes on sites linked to armed groups in seven Iraqi provinces, including Basra, killing 20 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and wounding 32 others, according to PMF figures cited by Shafaq News.
Notably, no Iraqi armed faction has publicly claimed responsibility for either the September or the July attacks on the kingdom.
The Iraqi government, for its part, stressed that the country's territory and airspace would not serve as a launchpad for attacks against neighboring states, vowing to pursue legal action against anyone found to be involved, Shafaq News said.
In a related development, Iraq temporarily closed the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran in Basra province and ordered employees and workers to leave the site, a security source told Shafaq News on Saturday. The crossing was closed on orders from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi, the source added, with no official explanation immediately available for the decision.
The timing of the closure — coming amid the fallout from the cross-border drone attacks — has raised questions about whether the move is connected to the escalating regional tensions, though authorities have yet to confirm any link.
Photo: Tehran Times