Iraqi leaders on Wednesday warned their country should not be used as an arena to “settle scores”, after US and Saudi strikes on militants prompted threats of retaliation.
The US and Saudi Arabia announced “precision strikes” against pro-Iran fighters in Iraq, saying the targets were “terrorist logistics and weapons sites” in the country's east. At least 20 fighters were killed and dozens injured.
The strikes on Iraq – the first known Gulf intervention there during the present war – followed drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities on Monday that the kingdom said emanated from Iraq.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a prominent armed faction, in turn threatened retaliation against the US and Saudi Arabia.
The attacks are the latest escalation of the already far-reaching regional conflict and came as US President Donald Trump threatened a heavy attack on Iran after American troops came under fire in Jordan.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis. A planned visit to Saudi Arabia this week is no longer expected.
The Iraqi National Security Council said the strikes on the Popular Mobilisation Forces – an umbrella of Iran-backed groups – came while Baghdad was in contact with others to address Saudi and American concerns.
The council said Iraq's territory should not be used “as a launch pad or arena for attacks on neighbouring countries, or for settling regional and international scores”. Influential Iraqi cleric, Moqtada Al Sadr, also called for restraint.
Iraq's presidency described the attacks as “a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty” and “a targeting of its official security institutions”.
The strikes hit official PMF facilities in the provinces of Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala, the group said. The attacks caused damage to buildings, military vehicles and equipment, said the PMF, an organisation of mostly Iran-backed armed factions formally integrated into Iraq’s security forces.
They added that casualty figures could rise as recovery operations continue.
Earlier in the day, the group said the strikes hit the headquarters of the 4th Regiment of the 30th Brigade and the headquarters of the Armour Combat Directorate in the Nineveh Plain. It described the incident as a “dangerous escalation” and a breach of Iraq’s sovereignty.
Ministry spokesman Brig Gen Turki Al Malki quoted earlier statements by the ministry, in which it said air defences intercepted drones launched from Iraq in an attack on its energy facilities on Monday and Tuesday.
Based on international law, Article 51 of the UN Charter and the “inherent right to defend itself”, joint operations were launched against “those militias located on the territory of the Republic of Iraq and linked to the attacks on petroleum facilities” in the kingdom, Brig Gen Al Malki said.
Saudi Arabia “emphasises that it does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression it faces”, the statement added.
Renewed tensions
Tensions are once again simmering in the Middle East after a brief period of fragile calm, due to the recent suspension of US-Iran strikes and counterstrikes after almost two weeks of fighting.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said the US-Saudi strikes constituted “clear aggression” against Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Iran accused the US and Saudi Arabia of acting in line with efforts by the US and Israel to expand the war in the Middle East. It said Washington and its regional allies would bear responsibility for the consequences of “criminal, inhumane and provocative actions”.
Iran has carried out more attacks in the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it launched ballistic missiles at a US airbase and a Centcom facility in Jordan. The IRGC said the attack was carried out after what it described as “aggressive actions” by the US military against Iran.
The statement came as Centcom said it thwarted an IRGC attack on American forces in the Middle East. “All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted,” it said in a post on X. “US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.” The Jordanian Armed Forces confirmed it had shot down five missiles launched from Iran on Wednesday morning.
President Donald Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that the US will respond with force after what he called a surprise Iranian missile attack in Jordan.
He warned that Iran was “going to get a beating”.
Mr Trump also said overnight strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq were co-ordinated with the Iraqi government, and called the militias “a cancer on the world”.
Calls for calm
Mr Al Sadr has urged restraint from Iran and armed factions inside his country, calling on all sides to avoid turning Iraq into a battleground.
Mr Al Sadr said Iraq should not be used as a platform for attacks against Iran and Iranian forces should in turn refrain from targeting Iraqi territory.
“The land of Iraq is the land of holy sites,” he said. Mr Al Sadr also warned Iraqi militias against action that could provide Gulf states with a justification to target Iraq, urging them to embrace “the spirit of brotherhood and peace”.
Mr Al Sadr said regional actors should not be drawn into efforts by “the Zionist-American enemy” to provoke conflict among neighbouring countries.
The cleric also criticised what he called attempts by militias to drag Iraq into a “pointless war”.
