After Attacking Iraq, Saudi Defence Minister Now Calls It 'Beloved Neighbour'
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman has described Iraq as a “beloved neighbour” in talks with a senior Iraqi military official. This comes despite the fact that last month, Saudi Arabia and the United States launched deadly strikes against a number of targets inside Iraqi territory.
AFP reported that an Iraqi security official visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday (18/8/2026). The visit was the first by an official since Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s trip to the kingdom was cancelled following the 29 July strikes.
“Iraq will remain a beloved neighbour. We share bonds of brotherhood, solidarity and mutual support with its government and its brotherly people. The Kingdom will always stand with Iraq to support its security, stability, development and prosperity, in the interests of Iraq and its people,” Khalid bin Salman wrote in a post on X.
He added that he had met with the Director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Abdul Amir Al-Shammari. The two, he said, “discussed Saudi-Iraqi relations in the military and defence sectors” as well as developments in the Middle East.
“We also stressed the importance of continued coordination and cooperation between the two countries to serve mutual interests and ensure the security and stability of the region,” he wrote.
The first high-level meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iraq following the strikes took place last week between the two countries’ foreign ministers on the sidelines of a gathering in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
At least 20 people were killed in Iraq in the joint US-Saudi strikes, which targeted members of a former paramilitary alliance that includes pro-Iran groups.
The United States and Saudi Arabia said they struck pro-Iran militias in Iraq in response to drone attacks from Iraq against US forces and Saudi oil facilities.
AFP reported on Wednesday (29/7/2026) that the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) said at least 20 fighters were “killed and 32 others wounded according to a preliminary toll”. The PMF is an alliance of former paramilitary groups and factions now integrated into the Iraqi armed forces.
In its statement, the PMF added that the US-Saudi “aggression” targeted PMF bases in seven provinces, including Baghdad, Nineveh in northern Iraq, and Basra in the south of the country, also causing material damage.
The statement condemned the “dangerous escalation” against an “official security institution”.
A PMF official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the strikes in Nineveh and Diyala province in central Iraq were the deadliest.
Iraqi President Nizar Amedi condemned the joint US-Saudi strikes.
Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday (29/7/2026) that in a statement, Amedi said the deadly strikes were “unacceptable”. He also described the attacks as a “blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, targeting its official security institutions, contrary to international law and the United Nations Charter.”