US-Saudi Strikes Hit Iran-Backed Groups in Iraq

The US and Saudi Arabia have jointly struck Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, marking the first major US military action in the Middle East since President Donald Trump suspended a bombing campaign against Iran last week.

The strikes targeted several bases across Iraq, killing at least 20 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an Iran-backed paramilitary group incorporated into the Iraqi security forces. The PMF reported that 32 of its members were also wounded in the attacks.

Iraqi men shouted sectarian slogans and 'Death to America' as they carried the bodies of slain fighters out of a hospital in Mosul, footage from Iraq's al-Ahad television showed.

The US and Saudi Arabia claimed that the strikes were in retaliation for drone attacks on Saudi oil targets launched from Iraq. This marked the first time during the war that Saudi Arabia had publicly announced participating in strikes alongside the US.