Iraqi protesters storm, wreck office of Saudi-owned MBC TV channel over 'terrorism' report

Protesters  in Iraq ransacked the offices of Saudi-owned TV channel MBC in Baghdad early on Saturday, then set fire to part of it after the broadcaster aired a report calling leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah as "terrorists".

Between 400 and 500 people attacked the Baghdad studios of Saudi broadcaster MBC after midnight.

"They wrecked the electronic equipment, the computers, and set fire to a part of the building," an interior ministry source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said the fire had been extinguished and the crowd dispersed by police.

"Security forces are still deployed near the building," he added.

Excerpts from an MBC programme had been making the rounds on Iraqi social media, sparking angry reactions from viewers.

The report had focused on "terrorism" in the region, and mentioned several groups and notable figures including, for instance, Osama bin Laden.

It also included Hamas, Hezbollah and armed Iraqi factions.

Named in the report were former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel in Beirut last month, and former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July.

It also referred to Haniyeh's successor, Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, regarded as the orchestrator of the October 7 attack on Israel and was also killed this week in Gaza, as the "new face of terrorism".

The report came at a time when Israel has been waging brutal wars against Gaza and Lebanon, claiming it is targeting Hamas and Hezbollah while killing tens of thousands of people. It has also clashed with Iran's, allies in Yemen, Iraq and Syria for over a year.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed at 42,500 Palestinians as of Friday, while Israel's attacks in Lebanon have killed over 2,418 people. Casualties have also been reported in other countries, notably Syria.

The Sabreen News channel, which is close to pro-Iran factions in Iraq, distributed videos on Telegram of protesters in Baghdad brandishing the flags of various armed groups.

The Iraqi government is led by a pro-Iran majority, and has made diplomatic efforts to stay out of the regional conflict.

However, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a nebulous group of pro-Iran armed groups, claims responsibility for frequent drone attacks against Israel.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been regional rivals, but began a rapprochement in 2023.

Prior to Hamas's October 7 2023 attack on Israel and the outbreak of the Gaza war, Saudi Arabia was on the verge of normalising relations with Israel, with pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel narratives quietly removed from media and textbooks.