IRGC-linked cell blamed for drone attack on Saudi oil pipeline

A small armed network allegedly operating directly under a
senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander carried
out a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline,
according to three commanders from Iran-backed Iraqi armed
factions.

The commanders told The New Region that three major
Shiite factions operating under the banner of the Islamic
Resistance in Iraq were not involved in Thursday’s attack, despite
initial suspicions that the groups could have been responsible.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that several
drones launched from Iraqi territory had targeted the East-West
Pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, causing injuries and
limited material damage.

Riyadh said that, following a request from Iraqi Prime Minister
Ali al-Zaidi, Baghdad would be given an opportunity “to take
measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against
the Kingdom and neighbouring countries”.

Zaidi subsequently ordered an urgent investigation into the
launch site and those responsible for the attack.

Investigators determined within hours that the drones had been
launched from the al-Tayeb border area, around 75 kilometres east
of Amarah in Iraq’s southeastern Maysan province, according to
Iraqi authorities.

The discovery prompted a major security response in Maysan.

Zaidi dismissed the province’s operations and police commanders
and transferred the heads of its security agencies to their
headquarters pending an investigation into what he described as
“security breaches that occurred in the province”.

Iraq also ordered the closure of the Shib and Shalamcheh border
crossings with Iran. The Mandali border crossing was also closed,
according to Iraq’s Border Ports Authority.

Iraqi authorities said on Sunday that the border would be fully
reopened by Thursday.

The attack initially drew suspicion towards factions of the
Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which had threatened to target Saudi
Arabia last month in retaliation for US-Saudi airstrikes on Popular
Mobilization Forces (PMF) positions across seven Iraqi provinces.
The strikes in late July reportedly killed and wounded dozens of
people.

The Islamic Resistance denied responsibility on Saturday, saying
that attacks on vital Saudi facilities were “an honour we do not
claim”. The groups also offered to participate in any government
investigation into the incident.

The Iraqi government has not publicly identified those
responsible for the attack.

However, three commanders from Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions
told The New Region that the operation was carried out by
a separate armed network allegedly linked to a senior IRGC
officer.

According to the commanders, the network was established around
seven months ago and operates independently of Iraq’s established
Iran-backed armed factions.

They identified its alleged commander as IRGC Colonel Hamed
Abdollahi, known in Iraqi political and military circles as Haj
Hamed.

The network reportedly operates through small cells in different
parts of Iraq. Each cell consists of several experienced and highly
trained fighters allegedly recruited from seven major Iran-backed
armed factions.

The commanders said the cells report directly to Abdollahi and
operate without the knowledge, coordination or authorisation of the
commanders of their original factions.

One commander described the development as an increasingly
serious internal rift within the Iran-backed armed network in
Iraq.

“Hamid is going behind our backs. He formed a group that has
begun acting independently,” the commander said.

Another commander alleged that the network's members include
defectors, dissidents and suspected double agents who no longer
operate under the authority of their former factions.

“The members of this group are a mixed bag of defectors,
dissidents and double agents. They work directly with Hamid and are
not under our command at all,” the commander said.

If the allegations are confirmed, the attack could expose a new
layer of fragmentation within Iraq’s Iran-backed armed groups, with
elements operating through parallel structures outside the command
of the factions that have traditionally controlled them.

It could also put additional pressure on Baghdad to prevent
Iraqi territory from being used for attacks against Saudi Arabia
and other regional states.

For now, however, Iraqi authorities have yet to publicly confirm
the identity of the group or individual responsible for the drone
strike.

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