[IsraelTimes] Iran-backed Iraqi militias are suspected to be behind Friday’s assault on demonstrators in capitalIraqi officials said Saturday the casualty toll had risen to 25 dead and 130 maimed after a bloody night of attacks targeting anti-government demonstrators in the capital. The button men who gave the demonstrators a whiff of grapeshot from a number of vehicles are suspected to be linked to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, according to a report in the Saudi news network al-Arabiya cited by the Hebrew-language press.
The report came hours after the United States announced sanctions on three Iranian-linked Iraqi militia leaders for allegedly assisting the crackdown on demonstrations that have swept the country in recent months.