Iraq Resistance delays response to Saudi Arabia and United States

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi Resistance, a grouping of Iraqi armed factions, announced on Monday that it is postponing its planned response to Saudi Arabia and the United States. The coalition said it was acting in response to a call from Hadi al-Amiri, the former secretary-general of the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi), and took into account the positions of political leaders. In a statement, the grouping stressed that the blood of those killed would not be turned into material for political bargaining, calling for the protection of lives and the defense of sovereignty. A source familiar with the matter said the armed factions had frozen their decision to respond to Saudi Arabia and linked it to Riyadh's stance, without elaborating further. According to the source, the factions are seeking a Saudi acknowledgment of error regarding an airstrike, compensation for the families of those killed, reparations for damage to public property, and a softening of Saudi media rhetoric. The Iraqi Resistance said on July 29 that Saudi Arabia had struck facilities belonging to the armed factions and had given the government a deadline that expired on Monday.