Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday called an emergency meeting of his National Security Council following U.S. and Saudi airstrikes targeting Iran-backed militias in the country, the state news agency INA reported.

The meeting in Baghdad will focus on the security situation and the overnight strikes, according to the report.

The U.S. said the attacks targeted Iran-allied militias operating in Iraq.

The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mostly Shiite militias aligned with Iran, said 20 of its fighters were killed and 32 others wounded.

The PMF said the U.S.-Saudi air strikes hit targets in several parts of the country, including areas around Baghdad, the southern province of Basra and Nineveh province in northern Iraq. It said buildings, vehicles and military equipment were also damaged.

The U.S. military said the overnight strikes were carried out in response to what it described as more than 30 drone attacks ordered by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards over the previous 72 hours.

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said the strikes, conducted alongside U.S. forces, targeted militia positions in Iraq that had previously been used to launch attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

Since the outbreak of the Iran war, Gulf states have also come under attack from Iraq, where Tehran-backed militias continue to wield significant influence.

Mr Al-Zaidi’s government said it wanted to disarm the militias, though there was little indication of whether that would be possible in the near term. Mr Al-Zaidi became prime minister in May.

(dpa/NAN)