Shafaq News- Baghdad
Thousands of mourners, including members of Iraqi armed factions, gathered in central Baghdad on Wednesday for the funeral procession of those killed in the US-Saudi airstrikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) sites across Iraq.
Shafaq News correspondents reported that the procession began at the PMF Media Directorate headquarters on Palestine Street and that Iranian nationals were among those killed.
The PMF, a state-sanctioned umbrella of predominantly Shiite armed factions, put the preliminary toll at 20 members killed and 32 wounded in strikes on its headquarters across seven provinces.
Read more: 20 PMF members killed, 32 wounded in attacks across Iraq
About the Joint US-Saudi Strikes
Saudi Arabia and US Central Command (CENTCOM) maintained that the operation responded to drone attacks on US forces and Saudi energy facilities attributed to Iran-linked factions operating from Iraqi territory. CENTCOM said US and Saudi aircraft struck weapons depots and logistics sites in eastern Iraq.
Abdullah Al-Numi, a member of the political bureau of Yemen’s Houthi movement (Ansarallah), disputed that account, telling Shafaq News his group, not the PMF, had carried out the earlier attacks on Saudi Arabia. Ansarallah had publicly claimed responsibility for operations targeting the Saudi cities of Yanbu and Jizan, he argued, accusing Riyadh of blaming Iraqi factions.
Read more: Exclusive: Houthis claim Saudi attacks, offer PMF cooperation
Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security instructed the Foreign Ministry to pursue legal action under international law and the UN Charter, condemning the airstrikes as a violation of the country’s sovereignty. The council also criticized the timing of the operation, noting that it took place while Baghdad was holding talks with Washington and Riyadh over attacks targeting Saudi territory, and ordered tighter security measures to prevent further breaches.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News that the operation had been coordinated with the Iraqi government. He also labeled Iran-backed armed groups as “a cancer on the world” and warned that further action against Tehran’s allies remained under consideration. The Ministerial Council for National Security’s statement did not address his remarks.