Pro Iranian militias operating in Iraq have warned that they are preparing to carry out retaliatory actions within 72 hours following joint US and Saudi airstrikes against their positions. A senior official within the pro Iranian militia network told Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar on Thursday that resistance forces in Iraq are coordinating with regional partners, including Houthi forces in Yemen, to execute a broader regional response. The official declared that the strikes have collapsed any previous negotiations regarding the surrender of militia arms, stating that "the resistance's weapons will remain and are not subject to negotiation."
The official added that the US and Saudi action "will not pass without a price" and warned of severe domestic fallout if official government coordination with Washington is proven. "If it turns out that there was governmental coordination with Washington, this will lead to an unprecedented internal crisis," the official warned. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated in an interview with Fox News that the airstrikes against the militia groups in Iraq were executed in direct coordination with the Iraqi government in Baghdad.
A senior official from Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, a prominent pro Iranian militia group in Iraq, declared that "the blood of the martyrs will not be spilled in vain," promising that the group's response will be "shattering." The official noted that the timing and precise method of the response depend on strict military calculations, adding that the United States "will regret" the operation while hinting at potential attacks against American and Saudi assets in the region.
Mass funeral processions took place across Baghdad and several Iraqi provinces, with hundreds of thousands of participants carrying banners condemning the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. In the Iraqi Parliament, a member of the Hoqoaq movement, affiliated with Kata'ib Hezbollah, revealed that over 60 lawmakers signed a petition calling for an extraordinary parliamentary session to demand the expulsion of the Saudi ambassador and the severance of economic ties with Riyadh over what they termed a direct violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
Initial reports from Western sources indicate that the airstrikes in Salah ad Din province killed six Iranian military advisors from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, alongside 20 operatives belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, while injuring approximately 30 others. These sources confirmed that the militia units responsible for launching recent drone and missile attacks toward Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan operate under the direct command of Quds Force officers holding diplomatic passports.
According to intelligence briefings provided to REUTERS, regional security services have heightened monitoring procedures across key infrastructure sectors as militia units prepare potential long range drone and missile operations.
