BAGHDAD (Dispatches) -- The United States and Saudi Arabia carried out coordinated aerial aggression against Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, early Wednesday, martyring at least 20 resistance members and wounding 32 others in strikes that targeted seven Iraqi provinces.
The joint terrorist assault came as millions of Muslims from Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and other countries around the world converged on the holy city of Karbala to mark Arbaeen, one of the largest annual religious gatherings on earth.
The occasion has long served as a powerful platform for expressions of solidarity with the Axis of Resistance and condemnation of U.S.-Israeli wars and expansionist policies, with observers viewing the timing of the attacks as a calculated show of hostility toward the gathering—an attempt to overshadow and intimidate the pilgrims who have assembled to honor Imam Hussain (AS) and reaffirm their commitment to resistance against oppression.
In separate statements issued early Wednesday, the Saudi Defense Ministry and the terrorist U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the joint aggression, saying it targeted bases and weapons storage facilities belonging to the PMU, which serves as a coalition of anti-terror resistance groups. Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi ministry, said the kingdom, in coordination with CENTCOM, had struck specific targets that he claimed had been involved in recent attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.
According to preliminary reports citing Iraqi resistance sources, at least 20 fighters were martyred and 32 others wounded in the attack. The PMU said the casualty toll remains preliminary and could rise as special committees continue field assessments and gather more accurate information.
The PMU issued a statement describing the attacks as a “highly dangerous escalation” and a “blatant violation of Iraq’s territorial integrity,” and an attack on the country’s official security institutions.
The organization denounced the strikes as a “joint U.S.-Saudi terrorist attack” targeting its official headquarters in the provinces of Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala.
Iraq’s Islamic Resistance had warned Saudi Arabia earlier this week against waging such strikes against Iraqi territory following Riyadh’s allegations that attacks on its oil facilities had originated from Iraq.
The resistance had rejected the Saudi allegations as “baseless,” describing them as “nothing more than a transparent attempt by the Saudi regime to cover up its complete failure to respond to the highly effective operations carried out by Yemen’s resistance forces against the regime’s deeply buried infrastructure.”
Following the strikes, the Iraqi Resistance reiterated its warning and emphasized the certainty of a military response.
In a new statement, the resistance declared: “The Saudi regime is a dagger from behind and a dirty tool in the hands of the White House. They spilled Iraqi blood yesterday by sending suicide bombers and today by acting as mercenaries for their masters.”
The statement added: “Even if their claim about the launch of attacks on oil facilities from Iraq were true, is it logical to respond to a failed attempt against an oil field by killing dozens of innocent people?”
The resistance also issued an ultimatum to Iraqi state institutions:
“We give a deadline until the 23rd of Safar [Thursday, August 6] to the state institutions that called for the disarmament of the resistance, to see what practical action they take regarding this aggression and to defend the country’s sovereignty.”
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a major Iraqi resistance faction, warned that U.S. and Saudi interests will “pay a heavy price” after the joint strikes.
The movement called for the immediate removal of all U.S. military bases from Iraqi territory, describing the American military presence as “a constant, existential danger” to the country’s security and stability.
It also urged Baghdad to immediately suspend all cooperation with Saudi Arabia, stating that the kingdom is serving as a principal sponsor of terrorism against Iraq.
Saraya Awliya al-Dam (SAD), a resistance group mostly based in northern Iraq, demanded the immediate expulsion of the Saudi ambassador and the severance of diplomatic and economic relations with Saudi Arabia.
“The Saudi ambassador must be immediately expelled from Iraq, and diplomatic and economic relations with Saudi Arabia must be severed,” the group said in a statement.
Iraqi Official Response
The attacks prompted immediate and widespread condemnation from Iraqi political and religious leaders, with some calling for a military response.
Iraqi President Nizar Amedi condemned the aggression, describing it as “unacceptable” and “a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty” that targeted the country’s official security institutions in violation of international law and the UN Charter.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ al-Sudani said: “We condemn the Saudi-American aggression against the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces in the strongest terms. This aggression is a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.”
He added that “Iraq reserves all of its legitimate rights guaranteed under international law, including the right to defend its sovereignty, territory and people,” and warned that “any violation of Iraq’s security and stability is unacceptable and cannot be met with silence.”
Secretary-General of the Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri condemned the joint strikes and demanded that the Iraqi government take a “firm and decisive stance” regarding the infringement upon Iraq’s sovereignty.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the heinous and unjustified attack targeting Iraq’s sovereignty and its armed forces,” Amiri said.
He noted that “the Iraqi nation was surprised by blatant aggression from a neighboring country to which Iraq has always extended a hand of brotherhood and cooperation.”
Amiri also highlighted that “the American role in supporting this brutal aggression places the United States before its legal and moral responsibilities,” calling for a comprehensive reassessment of all relations and agreements with the United States.
Iraqi lawmakers also called for decisive action. Saud al-Saadi, a member of the Iraqi Parliament and the Huqooq Movement, called on the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to issue an order for a military response to the Saudi-American aggression.
“Show Mohammed bin Salman and the other slaves their true worth and size,” he said. “The blood of Iraqis is not cheap, and the dark record of Washington and Riyadh in our beloved country will not be erased without a response that preserves Iraq’s dignity.”
Another Iraqi lawmaker, Faleh al-Khazali, described the strikes as “terrorist attacks” carried out by “the Saudi and American enemy.”
Lawmaker Hussein Nima al-Battat also condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” urging the government to take all necessary military, political, diplomatic and legal measures to defend Iraq’s sovereignty and protect its people.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the country’s National Security Council to convene an emergency meeting following the security developments.
The council condemned the strikes and approved a comprehensive security plan to tighten state control and confront any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
The council also directed the Foreign Ministry to take action under international law and the UN Charter to document the incident and safeguard Iraq’s legitimate rights. Al-Zaidi’s planned visit to Saudi Arabia was postponed indefinitely after the attack.
Regional Condemnation
Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a fierce condemnation of the joint U.S.-Saudi strikes, describing them as a “clear violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and a “flagrant breach of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter and the fundamental rules of international law.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry statement said the attacks are “in line with the expansionist ambitions of the United States and the Zionist regime to widen the scope of war and conflict in West Asia.”
The ministry expressed condolences for the martyrdom of a number of the noble Iraqi people and emphasized the Islamic Republic’s full support and solidarity with the Iraqi government and people, holding the “warmongering U.S. regime and its accomplices in the region responsible for the dangerous consequences of these criminal, inhumane, and provocative actions.”
Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement strongly condemned the joint U.S.-Saudi military aggression as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and international law, emphasizing Baghdad’s right to respond.
According to a statement issued by Ansarullah’s Political Bureau, the movement denounced the assaults as “illegal, cowardly and contrary to all international laws and treaties.”
The statement called the aggression a “blatant infringement on Iraq’s sovereignty” and an attack against the Iraqi people “in all their components and affiliations.”
Ansarullah said the attacks reflect the continued hegemonic policies of the United States and Saudi Arabia toward countries in the region, adding that they serve the interests of the “Zionist project.”
The movement reaffirmed Iraq’s legitimate right to respond to the attacks and stated that the Yemeni people stand in solidarity with Iraq in the face of external aggression.
Arbaeen and the Timing
The joint U.S.-Saudi aggression against Iraq coincided with the arrival of millions of Muslims from around the world in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala to mark Arbaeen, the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings.
Some observers viewed the timing of the attacks as a show of anger toward the gathering, which has been marked by expressions of solidarity with the Axis of Resistance and condemnation of U.S.-Israeli wars and expansionist policies.
Political analyst Jumaa al-Atwani told Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television that the joint U.S.-Saudi attack was aimed at weakening the PMU and retaliating against Iraq over its solidarity with Iran.
“The American pressure on Iraq has intensified because of Iraq’s position in solidarity with Iran, especially after the massive funeral procession for the martyred leader of the Ummah,” he said.
Atwani noted that the millions who participated recently in the ceremonies in Karbala and Najaf for the funeral of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei reflected Iraq’s role within the Axis of Resistance.
The PMU’s Operations Command in Basra confirmed that strikes also targeted stations serving Arbaeen pilgrims, further underscoring the provocative nature of the attacks during the sacred occasion.
The Iraqi resistance statement noted that “in order to preserve the security of the Arbaeen pilgrims, our response to the American enemy is definitely on the way, and if necessary, this response will include their tools in Saudi Arabia.”