SAC to review Iraqi factions' response to US-Saudi strikes
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq's State Administration Coalition (SAC) will convene on Wednesday with the country's four top leaders to discuss the security fallout from last week's joint US-Saudi airstrikes on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and subsequent threats by Iran-backed armed factions against Saudi Arabia, an informed source told Shafaq News.
The coalition, which brings together political blocs and parties participating in Iraq's political process from across the country's communities, will also review the latest political, economic, and regional developments. Discussions are expected to focus on the country's financial crisis, which has delayed salary payments for public employees, retirees, and social welfare beneficiaries following the disruption of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
On July 29, joint US-Saudi airstrikes targeted PMF positions in seven Iraqi provinces, killing at least 20 members and wounding 32 others. Washington and Riyadh said the operation responded to alleged attacks on US forces and Saudi energy facilities.
Read more: Iraq under regional pressure as neighbors threaten to strike Iran-aligned factions
Iran-backed armed factions, including Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Harakat al-Nujaba, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Ashab al-Kahf, and the Badr Organization, condemned the strikes in separate statements. Some called for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq, the severance of diplomatic and economic ties with Saudi Arabia, and the expulsion of the Saudi ambassador. Operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the groups gave the Iraqi government until August 6 to demonstrate its ability to defend the country's sovereignty, warning that a response would be "inevitable."
Read more: Wednesday's US-Saudi attack on Iraq: What Is Known
