The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that it joined United States forces in strikes against militias it says are aligned with Iran, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said.
According to the ministry, Saudi air forces carried out targeted strikes on militia positions based in eastern Iraq. Officials said the operation was launched in response to recent militant attacks on Saudi oil and gas infrastructure and was conducted in coordination with U.S. Central Command, the regional U.S. military headquarters overseeing operations in the Middle East.
The Saudi statement described the action as a defensive measure and framed it as the kingdom's first publicly acknowledged military involvement in the broader conflict that President Donald Trump and Israel initiated against Iran on Feb. 28. The ministry said the strikes were precision operations aimed at militia objectives linked to attacks on Saudi petroleum facilities.
'This reaffirms the Kingdom's legitimate right to defend itself and its capabilities, while reserving the right to respond at the appropriate time and place,' the Defense Ministry wrote on its official X account.
U.S. Confirmation and Broader Context
U.S. Central Command confirmed the strikes, saying Saudi fighter jets and U.S. forces coordinated to target 'Iran-aligned terrorists' in eastern Iraq. Military officials characterized the strikes as a response to Iran-directed attacks on U.S. assets and warned that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies must stop attacks to avoid further U.S. military responses.
Central Command noted there were roughly 600 attempted attacks on U.S. assets in the first two months of the conflict. U.S. and Saudi officials emphasized that the strikes were intended to be limited and precise; Saudi authorities said they should not be read as a broader escalation.
Casualties and Recent Incidents
The announcement comes amid mounting U.S. military casualties in the conflict. U.S. officials have said at least 18 service members have died and hundreds have been injured. The article lists recent U.S. service-member casualties reported by officials, including:
- Pvt. Isabella Gonzalez, killed in an attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan.
- 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, killed July 18 during an attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan.
- Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, presumed dead after a U.S. Navy helicopter emergency landing in the Arabian Sea on July 1.
- Major John 'Alex' Klinner, 33, killed March 12 when a U.S. aircraft crashed in Iraq.
- Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, killed March 1 in Kuwait.
- Other named casualties include Capt. Seth Koval, Capt. Curtis Angst, Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan.
Officials continue to update casualty counts and provide details about incidents as investigations proceed.
Diplomatic And Reporting Notes
Saudi officials said the strikes were not intended to escalate the conflict. However, the action comes at a moment when U.S.-Iranian negotiations appear to have stalled, even as leaders have periodically described talks in positive terms amid intermittent fighting.
Reuters has previously reported, citing unnamed Western and Iranian sources, that Riyadh carried out covert strikes against Iranian targets. USA TODAY and other outlets have contacted the White House and U.S. military officials for additional comment on the coordination and scope of the operations.
As events develop, officials and independent reporters are likely to provide further details on targets, assessments of damage, and any diplomatic repercussions from the bilateral strikes.
Two American soldiers were killedin an attack in Jordan, including Isabella Gonzalez, raising the U.S. military death toll in the Iran war to 17.Pvt. Gonzales, killed in action in an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, in this image taken at a location given as Germany, released on July 20, 2026.(10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command/Handout, via Reuters)
1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, was killed in action July 18 during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan.(Brooke Parcus, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command)
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed One-Way Unmanned Aerial System July 19, 2026, at Erbil Air Base, Iraq.(Brooke Parcus, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense)
Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards is presumed dead after a U.S. Navy helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea on July 1. He was identified as the missing crew member following a dayslong search.(Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic)
Major John “Alex” Klinner, 33, died on March 12, 2026, along with five other service members, after the U.S. aircraft they were on crashed in Iraq.(Courtesy Photo, DVIDS)
An undated photo of Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash., assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. Savino was one of six Airmen who died March 12, 2026, when a KC-135 aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury.(Secretary of the Air Force)
An undated photo of Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky., assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. Pruitt was one of six Airmen who died March 12, 2026, when a KC-135 aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury.(Secretary of the Air Force)
U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, Fort Carson, Colo, died March 8, 2026, from wounds sustained during an enemy attack on March 1, 2026, at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.(Dottie Henderson, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command)
U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa, assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, died March 1, 2026, in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba during an unmanned aircraft system attack.(Gloria Holt, U.S. Army Reserve Command)
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, died March 1, 2026, in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba during an unmanned aircraft system attack.(Brent Newton, U.S. Army Reserve Command)
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa, assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, died March 1, 2026, in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba during an unmanned aircraft system attack.(Brent Newton, U.S. Army Reserve Command)
U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida, assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, died March 1, 2026, in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba during an unmanned aircraft system attack.(Brent Newton, U.S. Army Reserve Command)
Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens died in the attack on March 1, 2026, in Kuwait, the Pentagonsaid.Other US service members killed in the Iran War are: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28 andChief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54.(Brent Newton)
