Chicago – May 12, 2026
Saudi Arabia secretly launched multiple airstrikes inside Iran in late March as the wider regional war widened, Western and Iranian sources told Reuters. The unpublicised operations, carried out by the Saudi air force, were described by one Western official as “tit‑for‑tat” strikes in retaliation for missile and drone attacks that hit the kingdom earlier in the conflict.
Riyadh did not publicly acknowledge the strikes, and both Saudi and Iranian governments have issued cautious public statements emphasizing de‑escalation even as diplomatic channels remained active, according to reporting that cited two Western and two Iranian officials.
Data from the Saudi defence ministry cited in the report showed a sharp fall in attacks on Saudi territory after the end of March, a trend Western sources linked to intensive diplomacy and informal understandings between Tehran and Riyadh.
The disclosures mark the first known instance of Saudi strikes on Iranian soil and underscore a more assertive Saudi posture amid shifting regional dynamics, Reuters reported, while noting it could not independently verify target details.
