U.S.-Saudi Attack on Iraqi Militias Risks Drawing Them into War

Iran-aligned militias in Iraq were under growing pressure to disarm, but the latest strikes may embolden them to get more deeply involved in the war. For months, the government in Baghdad has sought to curb the Iran-backed militias that have long operated in Iraqi territory, struggling to meet the Trump administration’s demands that it bring them under state control, disarm them and cut off their funding. A wave of U.S.-Saudi airstrikes that targeted the militias early Wednesday now risks upending those efforts. The attacks, which killed at least 20 people, have provided a new justification for Iran’s allies in Iraq to hold on to their arms and claim that they are the forces best positioned to protect the country’s sovereignty.

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