BAGHDAD (AP) 鈥� Iraq鈥檚 commission governing media announced Saturday that it would take steps to revoke the license of a Saudi television station to operate in the country.
That came hours after dozens of supporters of Iraqi militias stormed and looted the office of the broadcaster, MBC, in Baghdad in protest over a report that described a number of Iranian-linked militant figures 鈥� including a prominent Iraqi militia leader 鈥� as 鈥渢errorists.鈥�
The report on 鈥渢errorists鈥� who had been killed this century mentioned former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden alongside a roster of Iran-backed figures.
They included Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a veteran Iraqi militant who was the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly Shiite paramilitaries and founder of the Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades.
Iraq鈥檚 Media and Communications Commission said in a statement that MBC had violated the country鈥檚 broadcasting regulations through 鈥渁ttacks on the martyrs, leaders of victory and heroic resistance leaders who are fighting the battle of honor against the usurping Zionist entity,鈥� referring to Israel, and that it would order its executive office to cancel the station鈥檚 work license.
The station had already closed its doors following the attack.
The controversy came against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions surrounding the wars between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have played a minor role in the conflict, launching drone attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in the country in retaliation for Washington鈥檚 support of Israel鈥檚 wars and, increasingly in recent months, firing at targets within Israel.
Qassim Abdul-zahra, The Associated Press
