Iraq seeks to reassure Riyadh over drone attacks from its territory
BAGHDAD – A high-level Iraqi security delegation will travel to Saudi Arabia on Thursday to discuss recent drone attacks targeting the kingdom, in a move aimed at containing tensions and establishing direct security channels before the fallout widens.
The delegation will be led by General Abdul-Amir al-Shammari, director of the office of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and Hamid al-Shatri, head of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service, according to Iraqi officials and local media.
The visit follows talks in Baghdad days earlier with a Saudi delegation led by Saudi Intelligence Chief Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan and reflects a push by both sides to address the attacks through direct security and intelligence contacts.
For Baghdad, a key priority is to reassure Riyadh that Iraqi territory will not be used as a launchpad for attacks against neighbouring states, while seeking information and evidence about the groups responsible for launching the drones.
Iraq has opened an investigation after Saudi Arabia accused armed factions of launching drones from Iraqi territory towards Saudi oil installations. Baghdad has rejected the use of its territory as a route or base for attacks against other countries.
The visit comes at a particularly sensitive moment in relations between the two neighbours, after Saudi Arabia said last month that it had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraqi territory that were targeting petroleum facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and Riyadh.
The Saudi allegations have triggered condemnations across the Gulf and wider Arab world. The umbrella group known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has denied responsibility for the attacks, while warning of a “harsh” response should Saudi Arabia take action against it.
Seeking to contain escalation
Riyadh views repeated attacks, particularly those directed at vital oil and energy infrastructure, as more than isolated security incidents. Such attacks threaten both Saudi national security and the economic interests underpinning the kingdom’s development plans.
That has raised the risk that continued strikes could prompt a broader Saudi response, including attacks on armed-group positions inside Iraq.
Saudi and US forces carried out strikes against sites belonging to Iraqi armed groups late last month, following attacks that Saudi Arabia said originated from Iraqi territory. The escalation has increased pressure on Baghdad to demonstrate that it can prevent armed groups from using the country as a launchpad for attacks abroad.
The issue puts the Iraqi government in a difficult position: it must defend national sovereignty while also preventing its territory from becoming part of a wider regional conflict.
The Iraqi delegation is expected to seek a clearer picture of the attacks, including information on their origins and the identities of those responsible, while discussing ways to improve cooperation on tracking armed groups and drone movements.
The talks could also lay the groundwork for a more permanent intelligence and security mechanism between Baghdad and Riyadh, including information-sharing on armed-group activity, drone launches and border movements.
Such direct channels could help prevent miscalculation if further attacks occur, limiting the risk that accusations quickly escalate into retaliatory military action.
Test for Baghdad
The attacks have also exposed one of the most difficult security challenges facing Iraq: the government’s ability to assert state authority over armed factions operating within its territory.
Continued attacks on neighbouring countries from Iraqi soil could undermine Baghdad’s efforts to establish that decisions over war and peace rest with state institutions. They could also expose Iraq to further strikes and pull it deeper into regional conflicts that the government has sought to avoid.
That would carry economic and diplomatic costs at a time when Baghdad is seeking closer relations with Gulf states and trying to position Iraq as a bridge between competing regional powers rather than a battlefield for their rivalries.
Iraqi Prime Minister and commander-in-chief Ali al-Zaidi ordered security authorities to investigate the allegations contained in the Saudi Defence Ministry statement.
Saudi Arabia last week reiterated its support for measures that strengthen Iraq’s interests and relations with Arab and Muslim countries, while stressing that Iraqi territory and resources should not be used as a tool of aggression against neighbouring states.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan made the comments during a meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting on Jerusalem and its holy sites in Amman.
Diplomatic repair
The latest security talks follow a period of heightened tension between Baghdad and Riyadh.
Zaidi cancelled a planned visit to Saudi Arabia late last month after US and Saudi aircraft carried out strikes against sites in Iraq. Regional and international mediation subsequently helped ease tensions between Baghdad and Riyadh and paved the way for renewed engagement.
The planned security delegation is therefore also part of a broader effort to repair relations and reopen discussions on security, economic and investment issues.
For Saudi Arabia, the immediate concern is preventing further attacks on its territory and critical infrastructure. For Iraq, the challenge is to demonstrate that it can contain armed groups without being drawn deeper into the confrontation engulfing the region.
The Riyadh talks could provide both sides with a mechanism to manage that tension, but their success will ultimately depend on Baghdad’s ability to translate assurances into effective control over launches from Iraqi territory.