ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah on Monday called on Saudi Arabia to “accept defeat” in its conflict with Yemen’s Houthis, while praising the rebels’ military operations amid a series of deadly attacks on Saudi infrastructure.

Yemen’s Houthis have launched a series of strikes deep inside Saudi Arabia, targeting airports and energy facilities. The latest attack on Riyadh airport on Sunday killed a dozen and injured more than 300 others.

“We call upon [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman and his masters to accept defeat and lift the unjust blockade on the people of Yemen,” Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement, affirming the Islamic Resistance in Iraq’s (IRI) support for the Iran-backed Houthis.

It also congratulated the armed group “on their military operations to defend the dignity of their people and their usurped rights, following the siege imposed upon them by the Saudi regime.”

The surge in Houthi attacks comes as Yemen’s civil war has reignigted in recent months, with the Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized government against the group.

The IRI, which Kataib Hezbollah is part of, is an umbrella network of pro-Iran militia groups. It has claimed several attacks on US interests in the region since the US-Iran war started in late February. 

Iran-aligned militias in Iraq have also targeted Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles during the US-Iran conflict. The attacks led to joint US-Saudi airstrikes across several provinces in Iraq late July that killed at least 20 militia fighters.

In messages conveyed to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi through mediators, Riyadh has accused the Badr Organization and Kataib Hezbollah, the most influential and organized Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite armed groups, of being behind the attacks, senior Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) officials told The New Region in early September.

The Iran-aligned PMF, known as Hashd al-Shaabi, is officially incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces, enjoying similar privileges as the Iraqi army.

Yemen's Houthi rebels helped Iraqi militias plan and execute attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure in July, the Associated Press reported in September, citing Saudi and Iraqi officials.

Iraqi armed groups were initially given a September 30 deadline by the government to hand over their weapons, but several militias have rejected the call to disarm. Baghdad has since shifted to a phased process extending into 2027, beginning with a 90-day period in which the groups must refrain from attacks, with promises that they will not be targeted by US strikes during that period.