Al-Zaidi dismisses Maysan operations commander following attacks on Saudi Arabia

Iraqi authorities confirmed on Saturday that the attack on an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia originated from a site within Maysan province in southern Iraq, and decided to relieve a senior military commander of his post.

Spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Sabah Al-Nu’man, said in a statement that Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Ali Fadh al-Abidi “ordered the formation of an investigative council against the leadership of Maysan operations.”

Al-Nu’man added that al-Abidi “directed the dismissal of the operations commander from his post, following the confirmation that the attacks targeting the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were launched from a site within the province.”

In a related development, the Iraqi Security Media Authority announced that competent security authorities “closed several border crossings with Iran as part of administrative and security reorganization efforts.” The authority stated in a bulletin that “a series of necessary legal measures were taken, and intelligence, investigative, and scrutiny efforts were intensified to ascertain the circumstances of the breaches and violations that occurred at those crossings, and to devise appropriate solutions and remedies.”

The authority did not specify the number of closed crossings but noted that the Zurbatiyah and Al-Mundhariyah crossings remain open to passenger traffic. Iraqi media had reported earlier on Saturday that the Shalamjah crossing in Basra province and the Shayb crossing in the neighboring Maysan province had been completely and permanently closed, with entry and exit of individuals and goods prohibited until further notice.