Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) said on Wednesday that several of its official headquarters across the country were hit in co-ordinated attacks by US and Saudi forces.
The PMF said 10 of its members were killed and six wounded in the attacks. 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, said the PMF, an umbrella group of mostly Iran-backed armed factions formally integrated into Iraq’s security forces.
It described the incident as a “dangerous escalation" and a breach of Iraq’s sovereignty. US Central Command and Saudi Arabia confirmed they carried out "precision strikes" against Iran-aligned fighters in Iraq, saying the targets were "terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq". Saudi Arabia's Defence Ministry said the strikes came after drone attacks on its petroleum facilities.
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.
The statement added that Saudi Arabia "emphasises that it does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression it faces".
Iran also carried out further attacks in the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 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 they had shot down five missiles launched from Iran on Tuesday morning. The attempted attack came amid a lull in the regional war.
– with Agencies inputs --
