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Postponed retaliation after strikes
Iraqi resistance groups postponed their planned response to US-Saudi strikes on Iraq last week, after calls for restraint from Hadi al-Ameri and other political leaders.
“postponed its planned response to the US-Saudi attack on Iraq last week”
Saba said the Islamic Resistance in Iraq decided to postpone the retaliation planned for the twenty-third of the blessed month of Safar, while stressing that the blood of the martyrs “will not be a subject of political bargaining.”
Rudaw reported that the Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq postponed its response to US-Saudi airstrikes on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) following a call for restraint by Hadi al-Ameri, head of the Badr Organization.
Rudaw also tied the strikes to July 29, when Iraq’s PMF said “at least 20” of its members were killed and “32 others were injured” in joint American-Saudi strikes targeting PMF “official headquarters” in Baghdad and five other provinces.
The same Rudaw account said the US Central Command stated the “precision strikes in Iraq” were launched against “Iran-aligned terrorists” directed by the IRGC to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
Voices urge restraint, debate
Hadi al-Ameri urged fighters to delay any response, with Rudaw quoting his video message calling on the Islamic Resistance to postpone “any response” to the “American-Saudi attack that targeted Iraq,” and to “endure these wounds patiently, for the sake of Iraq's higher interest.”
Rudaw also quoted the umbrella group’s stance that “the pure blood of the martyrs has not been and will never be a commodity in the market of political calculations,” while calling on politicians to “review themselves and return to their senses.”
In a separate framing, the ANF report said armed men in a video declared: “Listen, Saudis, your time is up. Prepare yourselves. Get your vehicles and equipment ready for rescue.”
ANF added that Iraqi Joint Operations Command and security forces held an emergency meeting after the threats, with concerns that armed groups may launch an attack against Saudi Arabia.
The National described Iraq placing security and military forces on high alert after a one-week deadline by Iran-backed militias to respond to joint US and Saudi attacks, while quoting Hadi Al Ameri urging fighters to postpone any reaction to the “American-Saudi aggression.”
Deadline, deployments, and risks
As the deadline approached and then ended, Al-Quds al-Arabi reported residents of Baghdad documented a dense military deployment in city streets by forces from the Anti-Terrorism Service, coinciding with the end of a deadline announced by armed factions affiliated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq Coalition.
““Any threat emanating from Iraqi territory toward neighboring countries is illegal”
Al-Quds al-Arabi said the deployment persisted until dawn on Friday and described it as a government message aimed at factions intending to respond to the Saudi bombardment that it said killed and wounded at least 50 PMF members.
The same account said Iraqi Spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Sabah al-Numan told the press, “Any threat emanating from Iraqi territory toward neighboring countries is illegal, and we will take firm legal measures against its perpetrators,” while expressing hope factions would refrain from targeting Saudi Arabia.
Shafaq News reported that a well-placed source said armed factions temporarily froze their decision to respond to Saudi Arabia and presented demands including an official apology and compensation from Saudi Arabia.
Shafaq News also said the factions’ demands included Saudi Arabia acknowledging its mistake in the bombing and paying financial compensation to victims’ families, and that otherwise “the factions will take action in response.”
