Pro-Iran Militias, Including Kataib Hezbollah, Burn Saudi MBC Offices in Baghdad Over 'Terrorist' Labels

Oct 19, 2024, 03:46 AM

Supporters of pro-Iranian militia groups, including Kataib Hezbollah militants, stormed and set fire to the Baghdad offices of Saudi-owned television channel MBC after midnight, following the network's broadcast labeling prominent militia leaders as 'terrorists.' The protesters, numbering between 400 and 500, ransacked the offices, destroyed equipment, and set parts of the building ablaze. The MBC report referred to figures such as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Qassem Soleimani, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Hassan Nasrallah—leaders within the so-called 'Axis of Resistance'—as 'brutal or bloody terrorists' and 'dangerous men,' sparking outrage among the militias and their supporters. Sabreen News condemned MBC for crossing all lines. There were also calls for attacks on the Saudi Embassy in Baghdad. Iraqi security forces intervened as tensions escalated, with fires breaking out near the building. The incident underscores the volatile relations between Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Saudi Arabia amid regional tensions.