Mourners in Iraq carry coffins draped in Iranian and Iraqi flags during a group funeral for Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) fighters killed in US-Saudi airstrikes on Wednesday. Photo: Hadi Mizban/AP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A joint US-Saudi attack on targets in Iraq killed six Iranian advisors on Wednesday, according to two Iraqi officials who spoke to the Associated Press (AP).
A meeting that was set for Thursday in Saudi Arabia between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was called off due to recent attacks by armed groups targeting Saudi Arabia.
Al-Zaidi ordered an emergency meeting of Iraq’s National Security Council following the coordinated attacks on the country.
The Iraqi Security Media Cell said in a statement that the meeting was ordered in response to the evolving security situation and the airstrikes that targeted several Iraqi provinces early on Wednesday.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday that US forces, in cooperation with Saudi armed forces, carried out precision airstrikes targeting sites linked to Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
The coordinated airstrikes were in retaliation for a series of drone attacks targeting US interests and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
CENTCOM said in a statement that the strikes, carried out on July 28, targeted logistics sites and weapons depots allegedly used by Iranian-backed groups. It added that these groups were directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to attack US forces and Saudi oil facilities.
US and Saudi fighter jets carried out the strikes, an operation described by CENTCOM as a strong response to more than 30 drone attacks that the IRGC had conducted in the past few days.
Headquarters and sites belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in several Iraqi provinces were targeted by the US-Saudi airstrikes in the country.