BAGHDAD, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi government spokesperson Basim al-Awadi on Sunday condemned the U.S.-Israeli strike, which killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as a "flagrant aggression" and "culpable act" violating international norms.
"We offer our condolences to the Iranian people and the entire Islamic nation," al-Awadi said in a statement, calling for a halt to military operations that are escalating the region.
Iraq also declared three days of national mourning for Khamenei, the killing of whom sparked violent protests near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
An Iraqi Interior Ministry source told Xinhua that demonstrators attempted at dawn to storm the U.S. embassy's entrance near the Suspension Bridge, protesting the U.S.-Israeli attack.
Riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds attempting to breach the U.S. embassy, the source said on condition of anonymity, noting that hand-to-hand skirmishes occurred as protesters tried to push through the perimeter.
An Iraqi Shiite militia on Sunday claimed responsibility for drone attacks on military bases housing U.S. forces in Erbil province in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, as Iran vowed to retaliate for the killing of its supreme leader.
A statement by the pro-Iran group calling itself the "Guardians of Blood," affiliated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella body for Iraqi Shiite militias, said its fighters launched "a squadron of drones targeting U.S. bases in Erbil."
Iran's state media confirmed Sunday that Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks on Saturday. ■
