Saudi expects coordinated strike from Iran's proxies

Saudi Arabia expects imminent coordinated attacks from Iraqi militias north of the Gulf state and from Yemen's Houthis from the south under the supervision of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a senior Saudi official said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said late on Thursday that intelligence reports from Saudi Arabia, the United States and other regional countries indicated civilian and economic sites could be targeted, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.

Saudi Arabia had observed drones and missiles being moved, suggesting coordinated operations from both directions, and was prepared to take all necessary measures to respond to "any aggression," the official said. 

The rare warning underscores how the Gulf kingdom has come increasingly into the crosshairs of the regional conflict over the past weeks. 

It has faced attacks from Yemen's Houthis and Iraqi militias and in late July carried out strikes with U.S. Central Command against Iran-backed groups in Iraq after blaming them for drone attacks on its oil facilities.

Iraqi militias said they would respond to the Saudi strikes.

With threats escalating, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey will sign a joint defence agreement in Mecca on Friday, sources with knowledge of the matter said, cementing an alliance between three major Sunni Muslim powers.

Reuters reported last week that Saudi Arabia assessed the Houthis and Iraqi militias had attacked the kingdom together, under IRGC supervision, from Iraq.

WARNING COMES AS DIPLOMACY MOVES IN 'RIGHT DIRECTION'

The Saudi official said the reported threats were "particularly alarming" as Riyadh continued to pursue de-escalation and a negotiated settlement, adding that contacts with all parties, including Iran, and mediation efforts appeared to be moving "in the right direction." 

The official said the planned attacks could be intended to disrupt those diplomatic efforts. Regional officials have indicated Gulf states and Iran were closing in on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary arrangement aimed at allowing for broader talks to bring the Iran war to a close.

An attack by Yemen's Houthis on southern Saudi Arabia wounded 11 civilians on Thursday, a military official said.

  Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government, said early on Friday that the attack in southern Najran Province injured seven Saudis, one Yemeni, two Egyptians and one Pakistani national.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis or Iran on the coalition's statement.

The Houthis claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack on Najran airport, part of a broader escalation in which the Iran-aligned group has struck Saudi military, infrastructure and shipping targets.

They also killed at least 17 Yemeni government troops on Thursday, the Yemeni government said, after attacking what they described as Saudi-backed military deployments in the Yemeni provinces of Marib and Hadramout.

Riyadh's decade-old conflict with the Tehran-aligned Houthis has become increasingly entangled with the wider war, as Houthi actions, such as a Red Sea blockade that has disrupted Saudi oil exports, have raised the stakes of the broader regional confrontation.