US-Saudi strikes target Iraqi pro-Iran militias as IRGC renews attacks on US forces

GCC condemns attacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-aligned Iraqi groups Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi has condemned the “continued terrorist attacks” against Saudi Arabia by Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq. AlBudaiwi described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty, and [is] a direct threat to its security and stability and to regional security and peace”. He said GCC members stood firmly with Saudi Arabia and supported any measures Riyadh took to defend its “security, sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

AlBudaiwi also “stressed that the continuation of these terrorist attacks poses a direct threat to regional peace and security, and undermines international efforts aimed at de-escalation and consolidating security and stability”. Shiite armed groups embedded in Iraqi military report 20 members killed, 32 wounded in strikes across country; Tehran nixes Omani proposal to jointly run Hormuz, official says The post US-Saudi strikes target Iraqi pro-Iran militias as IRGC renews attacks on US forces appeared first on The Times of Israel. US-Saudi strikes on Iraq kill at least 20 across Iraq At least 20 Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) fighters have been killed and 32 wounded in US-Saudi attacks across Iraq, the group said.

The PMF said the initial death toll could increase as teams continue assessing the affected sites. The attacks targeted its positions in seven provinces: Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala. The state-sanctioned umbrella organisation, which largely comprises Shia armed groups, said the strikes also damaged buildings, vehicles and military equipment.

The US and Saudi Arabia launched joint air strikes on Iraq, targeting ‘Iran-aligned’ groups. The Iran-linked group that claims it was targeted by US-Saudi airstrikes Wednesday is part of an Iraqi security apparatus formed more than a decade ago to fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) is an umbrella organization within Iraq’s official security forces, which Iran has increasingly co-opted to wield its influence in the neighboring country.

It is mostly made up of Shiite paramilitary groups. It was established in 2014 as ISIS advanced across Iraq. Calling for Iraqis to volunteer alongside state forces, the government brought new volunteers and existing militias under the PMF umbrella.

It played a major role in defeating ISIS and retaking Iraqi territory, before being formally incorporated into the state security apparatus in 2016. Some powerful militias within the PMF have close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and form part of Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” in the region, along with groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen. These Tehran-backed PMF groups have frequently launched attacks against the US and its allies in the Middle East.