Saudi Arabia bracing for attacks by Iraqi militias working with Houthis, official says

Saudi Arabia is bracing for “multiple coordinated attacks” by Iraqi militias working with Iran-backed Houthis, a Saudi official told CNN, as the Middle East conflict threatens to continue to broaden in the region.

The official cited “multiple intelligence reports” from Saudi Arabia and regional countries that the Iraqi militias “in coordination with the Houthis” are planning to attack the Gulf nation “in the very near future” under the guidance of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The official expressed alarm, saying that the reports come as Saudi Arabia is encouraging de-escalation, and when negotiations seem to be heading in the right direction.

“Saudi Arabia will take all necessary measures to deal with any aggression,” the official said.

News of the anticipated attacks comes ahead of a joint Turkish-Saudi-Pakistani summit in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, on Friday, where a joint defense agreement is expected to be declared, according to regional sources.

The reports of impending attacks come a day after Houthis claimed to attack a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, another key waterway. In the past few weeks Saudi Arabia has come under missile attacks from the Houthis in Yemen and drone attacks from pro-Iranian militias in Iraq.

-CNN