US and Saudi Arabia Strike Iran-Aligned Militias in Iraq

The United States and Saudi Arabia launched coordinated precision airstrikes on July 29, 2026, targeting logistics, weapons sites, and headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) across several Iraqi provinces. The strikes hit locations in Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala, and Diyala. In Nineveh province alone, seven strikes killed 10 people and injured six others. The PMF reported a total of at least 20 members killed and 32 wounded.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Central Command stated the operations were responses to drone attacks launched from Iraq against Saudi energy infrastructure and U.S. forces. Saudi Arabia cited Article 51 of the UN Charter, claiming the right to self-defense. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi and the Muslim World League condemned the initial drone attacks as a dangerous escalation and a violation of Saudi sovereignty.

Iraq's leadership responded with sharp condemnation. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi indefinitely postponed a scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia and convened an emergency National Security Council meeting. The Iraqi presidency called the strikes an unacceptable aggression and a flagrant violation of sovereignty. Conversely, Donald Trump asserted that the attacks were coordinated with the Iraqi government, describing Iran-backed groups as a cancer on the world.