Iraqi Pro-Iranian Militias Threaten Retaliation Within 72 Hours After US-Saudi Airstrikes

A senior figure from a pro-Iranian militia in Iraq revealed in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that Iraqi resistance forces are preparing a response within 72 hours following recent US-Saudi airstrikes. The official condemned the Saudi attack on Iraq, warning it would not go unanswered and emphasized that the militias' weapons would remain outside state control, rejecting any disarmament negotiations.

The militia leader disclosed ongoing discussions with other resistance groups, including Yemen's Houthi movement, to coordinate a broader regional response. He also cautioned that any Iraqi government coordination with Washington on these strikes could trigger an unprecedented internal crisis. This statement came after US President Donald Trump claimed the airstrikes were conducted in coordination with the Iraqi government.

A senior member of the Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia declared that "the blood of the martyrs will not be shed in vain," promising a significant retaliatory action timed according to precise military considerations. He warned the US would regret the attack and hinted at possible strikes against American and Saudi interests if military operations continue.

Mass funerals for those killed in the strikes were held in Baghdad and several provinces, drawing hundreds of thousands who chanted slogans condemning the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, and vowed revenge. Politically, a member of parliament affiliated with the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq announced over 60 signatures had been collected to convene an extraordinary parliamentary session demanding the expulsion of the Saudi ambassador and severance of economic ties with Riyadh.

Western sources reported that the airstrikes in Salah al-Din province killed six Iranian military advisors and 20 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Shaabi), with about 30 wounded. The Iraqi militias launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan operate under direct command of the IRGC Quds Force officers, who hold diplomatic passports.