On 19 September, Al-Monitor reported that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government acknowledged that drones used in the Saudi East-West pipeline attack originated in Maysan. The Washington Institute separately attributed a drone barrage against the Yanbu pipeline to PMF militias, while dating the attack to 10 September rather than 11 September.
- The Washington Institute18 Sept, 21:27
“On September 10, Iran-backed factions of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces attacked Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu oil pipeline.”
- Al-Monitor19 Sept, 17:21
“The Iraqi government’s response to the attack launched from its territory has come under scrutiny. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government has acknowledged that the drones involved originated from the southeastern governorate of Maysan.”
State confirmation is narrower than the press attribution: it establishes an Iraqi launch province but does not settle whether PMF militias conducted the operation.