New Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has promised to bring all weapons under state control but the pro-Iran Resistance is not only being defiant but threatening Iraq’s relations with its neighbors.
On May 19 the United Arab Emirates’ Defense Ministry said it intercepted six Iraqi drones in the last 48 hours. More importantly on May 17 three Iraqi drones attacked the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi. One hit a generator starting a fire while the other two were shot down. This was part of Iran’s strategy of threatening the entire Middle East that it would suffer if the war with the United States restarted.
The day before Kataib Hezbollah warned Jordan that it was losing patience with the kingdom for supporting the U.S. and Israel. It claimed that the majority of reconnaissance missions by those two countries came from Jordan. The group said that Amman got a taste of what could happen to it during the war if this policy continued.
On May 17 Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry claimed it shot down three Iraqi drones. Baghdad responded that its air defense didn’t detect the incident. Iraq’s air defense are notoriously weak. This led the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council to condemn the drones saying it was a violation of the security and stability of the region.
These actions are posing a serious problem for Iraq’s ties with the Middle East. During the war there were hundreds of attacks by the Resistance upon neighboring countries. This prompted the Saudis and Kuwaitis to launch operations inside Iraq in retaliation.
Baghdad has been working hard to improve relations with its Arab neighbors. Many of them rejected the 2003 invasion and felt that the Shiite parties that took power afterwards were too close to Iran. In recent years things had gotten better and there were increasing business deals being made. That is all in jeopardy now as Iraq is being seen as a source of instability and violence with the government being unable to control the Resistance even though they are part of the security forces and hold official positions.
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “Iraq says air defenses did not detect drones toward Saudi Arabia,” 5/18/26
Asharq Al-Awsat, "Iraq PM Vows Monopoly on Arms as Parliament Approves Government,” 5/15/26
Kurdistan 24, “Saudi Arabia Intercepts Three Drones Entering from Iraq, Warns of Response,” 5/17/26
- “UAE Says Drones Targeting Barakah Nuclear Plant Came from Iraq,” 5/19/26
Mahmoud, Sinan, “GCC condemns drone attack on Saudi Arabia ‘launched from Iraqi airspace” 5/18/26
The National, “Iraqi militants threaten Jordan over backing for US,” 5/18/26
Salem, Amr, "Saudi fighter jets bombed militias in Iraq during regional conflict," Iraqi News, 5/14/26
Xinhua, “Urgent: UAE says intercepted 6 drones from Iraq in past 48 hours,” 5/19/26
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