Saudi Arabia's Covert Air Strikes on Iran in Late March Revealed by Reuters

Reuters broke an exclusive report on May 12 revealing that Saudi Arabia had secretly launched multiple Air Force strikes on Iranian targets in late March 2026, in retaliation for Iranian missile and drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure. The operation marked the first known instance of Saudi Arabia directly striking Iranian soil in the modern era. According to sources cited by Reuters, Saudi Arabia privately informed Iran of the strikes through backchannel communications, and both sides then engaged in intensive diplomatic de-escalation to prevent wider escalation. Neither Riyadh nor Tehran officially confirmed the attacks, and Saudi authorities declined all comment. Analysts described the disclosure as a significant watershed — confirming that the Saudi-Iran confrontation had crossed a threshold from proxy warfare to direct military exchange, adding complexity to ongoing ceasefire negotiations.