BAGHDAD, July 29 — Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security on Wednesday condemned U.S.-Saudi airstrikes targeting paramilitary positions across the country, approving a comprehensive security plan to tighten state control and confront any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
During an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, the council said the strikes came while the Iraqi government was “actively engaging with the relevant parties to verify and address the concerns raised by both Saudi and U.S. sides regarding the targeting of Saudi territory,” according to a statement by Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces.
The council directed the Foreign Ministry to take action under international law and the UN Charter to document the incident and safeguard Iraq’s legitimate rights.
Stressing that responding to such attacks is the “exclusive responsibility of the Iraqi government and its constitutional state institutions,” the council reaffirmed its commitment to keeping Iraq away from regional conflicts and urged all parties to refrain from further escalation.
It also reiterated Iraq’s commitment to implementing the security agreement governing the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international coalition by the end of September, alongside procedures to ensure that arms remain exclusively under Iraq’s state authority.
Earlier in the day, U.S.-Saudi strikes targeted positions belonging to Iraq’s paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) across several provinces, leaving at least 20 PMF members killed and 32 others injured.
The U.S. Central Command confirmed the operation in a statement, saying U.S. and Saudi forces on Tuesday carried out precision airstrikes against Iran-aligned militants in Iraq following a wave of drone attacks targeting U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
The PMF is a state-sponsored umbrella organization comprising dozens of paramilitary factions, and was formally integrated into the Iraqi armed forces following a campaign against the extremist Islamic State group. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
