Iraq rejects US-Saudi claims over drone attacks on Saudi Arabia

Baghdad has rejected US-Saudi claims that recent drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia were launched from Iraqi territory, saying no evidence has been presented to support the allegations.

“There is no evidence to support claims that attacks were launched from Iraqi territory,” Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of Iraq's Armed Forces said on Thursday.

Numan said Iraq’s security institutions are preparing a comprehensive plan to prevent similar incidents while safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and ensuring that security decisions remain exclusively under state authority.

He also said Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited Iraq’s the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) headquarters following the strikes and was briefed on the attacks, which killed 20 fighters and wounded at least 32 others.

“The PMU remains an integral component of Iraq's national defense system,” Numan stressed, adding that Zaidi ordered support for the families of those killed and comprehensive medical treatment for the wounded, including care abroad if necessary.

The Iraqi official challenged Washington and Riyadh to substantiate their claims, saying no party has presented any evidence proving the attacks on Saudi Arabia originated from Iraqi territory.

Zaidi also canceled a planned visit to Saudi Arabia after the deadly strikes, which targeted multiple PMU positions across Iraq early on Wednesday.

Houthi: US-Saudi strikes on Iraq part of 'Greater Israel' agenda

Al-Houthi said that attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria are all calculated efforts to remove any obstacles standing in the way of a hegemonic plan.

Washington and Riyadh falsely portrayed the bombardment as retaliation for drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, alleging they originated from Iraqi territory, a claim swiftly rejected by Baghdad and Iraqi resistance groups.

The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) had already claimed responsibility for the drone operations, saying they were carried out in response to Saudi Arabia's renewed military aggression against Yemen earlier this month.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) has vowed retaliation, warning that its response against “the US enemy” is inevitable and could also target Washington's “instruments in Saudi Arabia” if circumstances required.

The PMU was established in 2014 to fight the Daesh takfiri terrorist group and has since become an officially recognized component of Iraq's military and security establishment, with several of its factions represented in government through the Coordination Framework (CF).

Washington has repeatedly pressured Baghdad to dismantle resistance factions within the PMU, many of which carried out attacks on US military bases during the recent war on Iran and operations in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza.

Iraqi resistance groups have also coordinated operations with Yemen’s Armed Forces in the past and warned that they would intervene if the United States follows through on recent threats to support the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led Syrian army in any future attack against Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir