Sudani orders security chiefs replaced militia attacks continue

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered the replacement of security officials and directed forces to pursue those responsible for a wave of attacks targeting military, economic and diplomatic sites, following a night of strikes stretching from Basra to central Baghdad.

Military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said the attacks hit Majnoon oil field in Basra, the Al-Rasheed Hotel and the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. He described them as “terrorist attacks” and “criminal acts that have dangerous consequences for our country and undermine government efforts toward reconstruction and development.”

“The security of the state and the safety of its citizens is a red line that cannot be crossed,” Sudani said, according to al-Numan, who added that the prime minister had ordered accountability for officials who failed in their duties.

The Al-Rasheed Hotel, which houses the Saudi embassy and the EU Advisory Mission in Iraq, was struck by a drone late Monday that hit the building’s upper floor without causing casualties. The U.S. Embassy compound was targeted in a separate earlier strike, with officials giving conflicting accounts of whether a drone or rocket hit inside the fortified Green Zone complex.

The strikes come as Iraq finds itself caught between two fronts: Iran-aligned factions launching attacks on U.S. and coalition targets across the country, and airstrikes widely attributed to the United States and Israel hitting PMF positions in at least seven governorates. The PMF says dozens of its fighters have been killed since the regional war began Feb. 28. Sudani has condemned both sets of attacks — those on diplomatic missions and those against the PMF — while insisting that war and peace decisions rest solely with the state. Neither posture has stopped the strikes.