Iraq calls Saudi-US attacks ‘flagrant violation of sovereignty’

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that Iraq’s National Security Council condemned joint Saudi-US air strikes on bases of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, or PMF, in Iraq, saying the attacks violated the country’s sovereignty. The emergency meeting in Baghdad on July 29 was chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who also cancelled a planned first official visit to Saudi Arabia after taking office, according to the report.

The strikes hit PMF positions across seven Iraqi provinces and killed at least 20 members of the Iran-backed paramilitary group, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iraqi and Iranian media accounts. Those reports also said at least four advisers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed. The PMF is formally part of Iraq’s security structure but includes factions closely aligned with Iran, making attacks on its sites highly sensitive for Baghdad.

Saudi Arabia and US Central Command said the operation targeted Iran-backed armed groups accused of attacks on US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia said recent drone attacks on facilities in its Eastern Province and Riyadh regions had originated from Iraqi territory. Iraq’s government disputed the basis for the strikes, saying no evidence had been provided and that the attack disrupted investigations into the alleged launches.

The fallout has raised the risk of further escalation involving Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Iran-aligned factions. Al Jazeera reported funerals for some PMF fighters in Mosul and protests by PMF supporters in Baghdad, including calls to expel the Saudi ambassador. Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, said it would give the Iraqi government until August 6 to show it could protect Iraqi sovereignty.