Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi armed factions operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) have yet to decide whether to retaliate for last month’s Saudi airstrikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) sites, despite setting a deadline that expires around Aug. 7 for the government to respond, informed sources told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
The factions remain committed to responding but continue to face “high-level political and government pressure” to avoid escalation, particularly with Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi expected to visit Riyadh in the coming days.
The July 29 US-Saudi strikes targeted official PMF facilities in several Iraqi provinces, killing at least 20 members and wounding 32 others, according to the PMF, a state-sanctioned umbrella of predominantly Shiite armed factions.
Read more: Wednesday's US-Saudi attack on Iraq: What Is Known
Several Iraqi political parties and Iran-aligned groups, including Saraya Awliya Al-Dam, Harakat Al-Nujaba, Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, and the Badr Organization, condemned the attacks, with some demanding the withdrawal of foreign forces, the expulsion of the Saudi ambassador, and the suspension of diplomatic and economic ties with Riyadh.
Al-Zaidi is expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week after regional, international, and domestic mediation helped ease tensions between Baghdad and Riyadh, a source told Shafaq News. The visit is expected to focus on security cooperation, economic ties, and investment projects after he postponed an earlier trip scheduled for the day following the strikes.
Read more: Iraq under pressure as neighbors threaten to strike Iran-aligned factions