ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Saturday ordered the development of deterrents to stop the attacks launched from Iraqi territory toward neighboring countries, his office said.

The directive came during an emergency meeting to discuss the latest regional security developments. Zaidi stressed the need to “prevent any transgression or threat emanating from Iraqi territory against neighboring countries.”

The Iraqi premier directed the formation of a security committee to address the challenges, and instructed the development of “deterrents” to prevent the recurrence of “such incidents or any potential violations.”

Several bases belonging to Iraq’s Iran-aligned Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) came under an extensive US-Saudi aerial attack earlier in the week, after Riyadh accused Iraqi militias of conducting attacks on its territory.

The strikes killed at least 20 PMF members and injured at least 32 more, drawing widespread condemnations across the Iraqi political scene, including the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework during an emergency session chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

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.

Pro-Iran Iraqi militias conducted more than 600 attempted attacks targeting American personnel between February and April, CENTCOM said, threatening the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its alleged proxies to “cease these attacks to avoid further US military response.”

Zaidi directed Iraqi security agencies to “enforce the law, enhance security and stability, and fulfill their responsibilities in protecting sovereignty and maintaining good neighborly relations,” according to the statement.

Zaidi’s directives come four days after the US-Saudi attacks. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella network of pro-Iran Iraqi militia groups linked to the IRGC, gave Baghdad a nearly one-week deadline to respond to the strikes.