U.S. stops Iranian 'surprise' missile attack

U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces struck multiple sites in eastern Iraq on Tuesday after Iran-backed militias used those locations to launch drone attacks across the region, Pentagon officials said.

The strikes came just hours after the American military said it repelled a surprise Iranian missile attack targeting U.S. troops.

The strikes marked the end of a brief pause in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, which has drawn in countries across the Middle East. U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Mideast, said the attempted Iranian ballistic missile attack was stopped.

“All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

Hours later, Pentagon officials said that U.S. and Saudi forces launched strikes against weapons and logistics sites in eastern Iraq used by Iran-linked terrorist groups. 

Those groups, CENTCOM said, are responsible for more than 30 attempted drone strikes in the past three days targeting both U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia said earlier Tuesday that it shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq for a second day. Those drones had attempted to target petroleum facilities in the nation’s eastern region, Saudi officials said. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered his country’s security agencies to investigate after the Saudis alleged a similar attack on Monday.

There were no reported U.S. casualties from any of the incidents.

The renewed strikes followed a meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House earlier Tuesday. 

The two leaders presented a united front exactly five months after their militaries launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 to prevent the Islamist regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Iran has retaliated by clamping down on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for moving oil from the Persian Gulf. 

Despite a renewed wave of intense U.S. military strikes on Iran over the past two weeks, Iran and its proxy forces in the Middle East still have stockpiles of missiles and drones that can target U.S. and allied forces in the region.

• This article is based in part on wire-service reports