A Saudi official source said Friday that the kingdom’s strike in Iraq came after “all diplomatic and political measures had been exhausted” and after Riyadh had exercised “maximum restraint” over recent months, Saudi state TV reported, Anadolu reports.
“The kingdom is keen on its relationship with Iraq, government and people,” the source told Al-Ekhbariya TV, adding that the airstrike “was not directed against the Iraqi government or the Iraqi people.”
“The Saudi response came after all diplomatic and political measures were exhausted and after the highest levels of restraint were exercised over the past months,” the source said.
“The operation targeted the capabilities of militias that threatened the kingdom’s security and targeted its vital civilian and economic facilities,” the source added.
Describing the strike as “a precise and limited response,” the source said it was restricted to military warehouses belonging to the militias and was carried out in response to attacks on Saudi territory.
READ: Iraqi armed group issues deadline to Government, Warns of Retaliation Following Saudi-US Strikes
“The terrorist militia harms Iraq’s interests and its relations with Arab and Islamic countries, and turns its lands and capabilities into a tool for aggression against Iraq’s neighboring states,” the source said.
“What is being promoted by parties inside and outside Iraq to inflame sectarianism does not deceive Iraq’s wise people or its aware public,” the source said, adding that such parties do not want Iraq to build rapprochements that strengthen its security and stability.
The remarks came days after Saudi Arabia and the US carried out strikes that they said targeted logistical sites and weapons depots belonging to Iran-aligned groups in response to drone attacks on oil facilities and military bases in the region.
On Wednesday, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said 20 of its members were killed and 32 others injured in airstrikes targeting its official headquarters in seven provinces.
Following the strikes, the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq gave the Iraqi government until mid-August to take what it called firm measures against the “aggressors,” threatening attacks on US and Saudi forces.
READ: Iraq denies Trump’s claim of prior knowledge of US-Saudi strikes
