WASHINGTON/RIYADH (AFP) : US and Saudi Arabian forces said they struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation for recent attacks, following a short pause in Iran war hostilities. Retaliatory strikes by US and Saudi fighter planes hit logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq belonging to “Iran-aligned terrorists”, the US military said. Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said the “terrorist militias loyal to Iran” were linked to attacks on the kingdom’s oil facilities. A days-long pause in hostilities ended late Tuesday, when US forces reported intercepting missiles launched by Iran at American bases in the Gulf. Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday for closed-door talks that the administration described as “positive and productive”.