Iraq Denies Approving Deadly US-Saudi Strikes on Its Territory

Iraq did not approve deadly US-Saudi strikes on its territory, a government spokesperson said Thursday, after US claims that the attacks against Iran-backed militants were coordinated with Baghdad.

 "The government did not have any knowledge" of the strikes and "did not approve any attacks on specific sites or groups in Iraq," spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said on state



TV. 

The US-Saudi strikes on Wednesday killed at least 20 militants, including five Iranians, according to the Hashed al-Shaabi, an armed Iraqi alliance that includes pro-Iran groups.

Washington and Tehran are Iraq's main allies, but their enmity has long turned the country into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the foes.