Iraq National Security Council condemns U.S. and Saudi predawn strikes after deaths of security personnel

Iraq’s National Security Council on Wednesday condemned predawn U.S. and Saudi airstrikes against pro-Iran militias, saying the attacks killed at least 20 members of Iraq’s government security forces, according to a statement cited by The Washington Times. The council said the strikes amounted to aggression, escalating tensions at a time when Baghdad is struggling to keep security lines under centralized control.

The reported deaths were linked to strikes carried out before dawn, the report said, and the National Security Council criticized both the timing and the premise of the operation. The council’s wording centered on Baghdad’s view that the targets were Iraqi government personnel rather than militia fighters acting independently of the state.

The U.S. position, as described in the report, was that the people killed were not acting as independent militia members in the usual sense, but were instead taking orders from Tehran. Under that framing, the strikes were directed at an Iranian chain of command operating through forces that were associated with government security structures.

Saudi involvement was also part of the reported operation, with the strikes carried out jointly or in coordination, according to the same account. The report did not describe the specific bases, districts, or units struck, nor did it provide individual names of the victims, but it characterized the overall event as part of counter-militia or counter-Iran efforts in Iraq.

The National Security Council’s condemnation marked a direct diplomatic challenge to the stated rationale provided for the strike. By describing the action as aggression, Baghdad indicated that it views the incident as crossing a line of sovereignty and established national authority over the use of force within Iraqi territory.

The incident also underlined the political and security uncertainty around who exercises real control over armed groups in Iraq. The clash between Baghdad’s characterization and the U.S. description points to a contested accountability question, with the U.S. arguing for action against Iranian influence networks and Iraq insisting that the victims were members of its own security apparatus.

No further details were provided in the report about investigations, compensation, or formal responses beyond the National Security Council statement. However, the condemnation sets up the immediate diplomatic challenge that typically follows cross-border strikes, including how Iraq will seek explanations and what measures, if any, Baghdad will demand to prevent further incidents.

For now, the episode is likely to intensify scrutiny inside Iraq’s security establishment, where the dispute over affiliation and command structure can carry consequences for institutional credibility. For Washington and Riyadh, the reported incident highlights the operational risk of striking targets that Baghdad views as Iraqi personnel, even when the U.S. says the command and control ties reach Iran.