Thousands of Iraqi protesters gathered near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, attempting to storm the compound in response to the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
The killing, reportedly carried out by Israel, sparked widespread outrage across the region, according to Sky News.
Clashes erupted between the demonstrators and Iraqi security forces, with many protesters seen waving Hezbollah flags and carrying images of Nasrallah, along with banners representing the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, a powerful faction in Iraq.
Earlier on Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned Nasrallah’s assassination, denouncing the Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs that led to his death as a “crime that crosses all red lines.”
Al-Sudani reaffirmed Iraq’s principled stance of solidarity with both the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, stating that Friday’s attack on Beirut’s southern district is “a reckless act aimed at escalating the conflict.” In a show of national mourning, the prime minister declared a three-day period of public mourning across Iraq.
Protests erupted in Baghdad later that evening, with large crowds gathering near the Green Zone, an area that houses vital diplomatic missions, including the U.S. Embassy.
