Source Bloomberg

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Lisa BeyerJuly 29, 2026 at 2:42 PM EDTA general view of damaged structures at the site of a strike in Bartalla in the northern Iraqi Nineveh province on July 29.Photographer: Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP/Getty Images

A new line of fighting in the war in the Middle East opened up on July 28 when Saudi Arabia launched an attack on Iraq, with which the kingdom has generally cordial relations. The strike, carried out in conjunction with US forces, targeted Iranian-backed militants in Iraq who, the Saudis said, had fired drones at Saudi oil facilities two days in a row. 

Who are the Iraqi militants the Saudis attacked?

Iran-backed militants in Iraq operate under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Forces. This group began to take shape after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and overthrow of the country’s longtime leader Saddam Hussein. Hussein’s regime had been led by followers of the Sunni branch of Islam, although most people in Iraq are Shiite Muslims, as is the case in Iran. A general view of damaged structures at the site of a strike in Bartalla in the northern Iraqi Nineveh province on July 29.Photographer: Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP/Getty Images

The demise of Saddam’s regime created a long-sought opportunity for Iran to dominate Iraq — once part of the Persian Empire — through the country’s newly empowered Shiite majority. Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps began organizing and arming Shiite militias with roadside bombs and other equipment to attack US forces in Iraq, with the goal of driving them out.

Iran’s backing of Shiite militias in Iraq moved into the open in 2014, when the Iraqi government formally endorsed them as a means to fight the extremist group Islamic State, who at that time controlled a large swath of Iraqi territory. The firepower and prominence of the Popular Mobilization Forces gave Iran leverage to shape Iraqi governments. 

What role do the militias play?

To this day, the militias remain powerful militarily and politically. Many have members who are elected lawmakers. In recent years, constituents of the PMF have repeatedly attacked the contingent of US forces still stationed in Iraq in an advise and assist capacity. They are scheduled to withdraw completely by Sept. 30. 

What’s the position of Iraq’s government in all of this?

The Iraqi government tries to maintain good relations with both the US and Iran. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has promised to try to disarm the militias. At the same time, the Iraqi Presidency protested the attacks on them as “unacceptable and a flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty.