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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The United States and Saudi Arabia carried out a series of precision strikes across eastern Iraq on Tuesday, targeting Iran-aligned militant groups that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says were directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
According to CENTCOM, the joint operation struck multiple logistics hubs and weapons sites following a wave of unsuccessful IRGC-directed drone attacks over the last 72-hours.
CENTCOM also said on Tuesday night that the IRGC launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on American bases in the Middle East. "All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness," per the command.
According to Reuters, the IRGC said it launched several ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base and CENTCOM facility in Jordan, describing the strikes as retaliation for U.S. actions against Iranian interests.
Newsweek reached out to CENTCOM via email on Tuesday night for additional information.
According to CENTCOM, more than 600 attempted attacks against U.S. citizens and facilities were recorded from February to April in Iraq, seemingly highlighting a threat posed by IRGC-backed proxy forces operating throughout the region.
In its statement, CENTCOM warned that the IRGC and its affiliated militias must halt these attacks or risk further military action. The strikes underscore the continued willingness of the United States and its allies to respond militarily to attacks they attribute to Iranian-backed groups, even amid broader diplomatic efforts with Tehran on other fronts.
Rajan Menon, professor emeritus of International Relations at the City College of New York, told Newsweek via email on Tuesday night that "There’s nothing in place that qualifies as a ceasefire, so be it the US-Saudi strikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, or Iran’s targeting on Tuesday of the Muwaffaq Salti air base in Jordan, which the US uses, no one should be surprised. Indeed, we should expect more such incidents."
The military operation came just hours after President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where Iran was a core topic of discussion.
When asked on Monday about Netanyahu's reported arrival into D.C., a White House official told Newsweek that Trump and the Israeli prime minister would discuss the ongoing conflict in Iran, progress with the trilateral framework in Lebanon and expanding the Abraham Accords.
White speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday night, Netanyahu said in part that the meeting with Trump was "great," adding that it was "one of the best meetings that we've had."
"We have a common commitment; we don't want to see this fanatic regime in Tehran have nuclear weapons to threaten every American, and to threaten the peace of the world, and to threaten the existence of Israel," Netanyahu added. He said both he and Trump are "committed to that."
Netanyahu highlighted that the Iranian regime has attacked many neighbors in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He also told Hannity to imagine what Iran would do if it possessed a nuclear weapon.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
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