Iraq cancels Saudi visit after deadly strikes on PMF bases

Key points

• Iraq’s National Security Council condemned Saudi-US strikes on PMF bases in seven provinces as a breach of sovereignty, according to a statement.
• Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi cancelled a planned Thursday visit to Saudi Arabia, which would have been his first trip there since taking office.
• Saudi Arabia and US Central Command said the strikes targeted Iran-backed groups accused of attacking American troops and Saudi energy facilities.
• Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted drones launched from Iraq toward petroleum facilities in Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
• The Islamic Resistance in Iraq denied responsibility for attacks on Saudi Arabia and rejected the Saudi account as fabricated.
• Iranian and Iraqi media reported at least 20 PMF members and four Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers were killed in the strikes.
• Iraq’s armed-forces spokesperson said no party had provided evidence that attacks on Saudi Arabia were launched from Iraqi territory.
• Kataib Hezbollah gave the Iraqi government until August 6 to show it could protect Iraq’s sovereignty and said retaliation was inevitable.