Saudi Arabia launched covert airstrikes on Iranian territory during the peak of the recent Middle East conflict, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions and signaling a shift in Riyadh’s military posture, according to officials cited in a new report.

Western and Iranian sources quoted by Reuters said the Saudi Air Force carried out the attacks in late March, representing the first known instance of the Kingdom directly striking targets inside Iran.

The reported strikes were described as “tit-for-tat” responses to repeated Iranian-backed drone and missile attacks aimed at Saudi civilian infrastructure, including airports and oil installations.

For years, Saudi Arabia has leaned heavily on American defense support, but the scale and intensity of the recent ten-week conflict—during which Iran reportedly targeted all six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council—pushed Riyadh to take more assertive and independent military action.

The operations were said to have occurred during a particularly volatile stretch in late March. According to those familiar with the situation, Saudi officials quickly informed Tehran after the strikes and paired the military response with a firm warning that any additional aggression would be met with a stronger reaction.

This combination of force and diplomacy appears to have contributed to a cooling of tensions. In the aftermath of the strikes, accelerated talks led to an informal de-escalation understanding that took hold shortly before the broader April 7 ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

The disclosure of Saudi involvement follows a separate report indicating that the United Arab Emirates also carried out its own strikes against Iran during the same conflict.

Although both Gulf states reportedly took the rare step of targeting Iran directly, their approaches differed. The UAE maintained a consistently aggressive posture, while Saudi Arabia continued to engage Tehran through back-channel communications even as it carried out military operations.

A senior official in Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry stopped short of confirming the strikes but reiterated the Kingdom’s broader stance on regional stability.

“We reaffirm Saudi Arabia’s consistent position advocating de-escalation, self-restraint and the reduction of tensions in pursuit of the stability, security and prosperity of the region and its people,” the official said.

The reported decision to carry out the strikes followed a period of rising tensions. On March 19, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud warned that the Kingdom “reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary.” That warning was followed by the expulsion of Iranian diplomats and, ultimately, the reported military response targeting sites inside Iran.

Despite the relative calm that has followed the ceasefire, the situation remains unstable. Recent projectiles fired toward Saudi territory have been linked to Iran-aligned militias operating in Iraq, prompting Riyadh to summon Iraq’s ambassador in protest.

While the ceasefire continues to hold for now, the events surrounding the March strikes have underscored a major shift in Saudi policy, signaling to Tehran that the Kingdom is prepared to respond directly to threats rather than rely solely on allies for its defense.

{Matzav.com}