Iraq’s National Security Council has condemned Wednesday’s Saudi-US strikes against the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which killed at least 20 members of the Iraqi paramilitary group. The council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, called the attacks on PMF bases in seven Iraqi provinces “a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and the sanctity of its lands”. “Any transgression or compromise of Iraq’s security and sovereignty will not be tolerated under any circumstances”, it said. Saudi Arabia and US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the joint air strikes targeted Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq responsible for attacks on American troops and Saudi energy infrastructure. In a statement, the Iran-aligned Iraqi paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah said it would give the Iraqi government until August 6 to demonstrate it can defend Iraq’s sovereignty.