ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s ruling Coordination Framework, during an emergency meeting late Wednesday, condemned the deadly US-Saudi strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) bases in Iraq as "a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty."

Following a series of drone attacks in Saudi Arabia that Riyadh accused Iran-aligned factions in Iraq of orchestrating, the Saudi and US militaries conducted extensive airstrikes on Iraqi soil that killed at least 20 members of the PMF.

The emergency meeting, hosted by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi late Wednesday, focused primarily on the recent US-Saudi strikes, read a statement from the Coordination Framework. 

“This constitutes a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, contravening the principles of international law and the UN Charter,” it said.

The Coordination Framework affirmed that Iraq's sovereignty and security "cannot be infringed under any circumstances," while rejecting any attempt to turn the country's current circumstances "into an arena for regional and international conflicts." 

The attacks were widely condemned by the Iraqi political sphere and particularly by pro-Iran militias in Iraq, who have issued stark warnings to both the Iraqi government and the US. 

The recent attacks have further complicated the ongoing regional conflict and "threaten security and stability across the region," the Coordination Framework said. 

Many Iraqi officials criticized the Saudi attack, saying it came before the investigation ordered by Zaidi into the attacks attributed to Saudi Arabia had been completed, with calls on Riyadh to provide evidence supporting its claims.

The deadly US-Saudi dawn strikes on PMF bases in Iraq have “hampered investigation efforts regarding the alleged targeting of Saudi Arabia,” Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for Zaidi, told state media.

“We demand evidence and proof regarding the attacks originating from Iraq, and no party has provided any evidence,” Numan added.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella network of pro-Iran Iraqi militia groups linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), gave Baghdad a nearly one-week deadline to respond to the strikes. 

On Wednesday, Zaidi convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, condemning the US-Saudi strikes and deciding to “develop a comprehensive security plan to secure the territory and counter any violations of Iraq’s sovereignty.” 

The PMF is an umbrella group of Shiite militias that officially operates under the authority of the Iraqi state, but has been repeatedly criticized for including pro-Iran factions that operate at Tehran's behest.