Anti-US slogans, photos of Iran's Khamenei on display in Iraq's pro-Gaza protests

US forces in Iraq said they have come under fire as anger spreads in the Arab world over the deadly Gaza hospital explosion. Arab governments condemned Israel for the incident, but the United States maintains that a Palestinian group was likely responsible.
Iraqis hold portait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) and shout slogans during a demonstration near the suspension bridge leading to Baghdad's Green Zone and the US Embassy in Baghdad on October 18, 2023, protesting a strike on a Gaza hospital which killed hundreds a day earlier. Thousands rallied across the Arab and Muslim world on October 18 to protest the deaths of hundreds of people in a strike on a Gaza hospital that they blame on Israel, despite its denials. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE
Iraqis hold portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) and shout slogans during a demonstration near the suspension bridge leading to Baghdad's Green Zone and the US Embassy in Baghdad on October 18, 2023, protesting a strike on a Gaza hospital which killed hundreds a day earlier. - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images
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Anti-American slogans and condemnations of Israel were prevalent in protests that Iraq witnessed in the last 24 hours over the Gaza hospital strike. Portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah were also featured in the demonstrations on Wednesday. 

Also on Wednesday, the US military said it thwarted an enemy drone attack and protests occurred in Iraq on Wednesday following the deadly strike against a Gaza hospital, despite Israeli and US assurances that a Palestinian militant group was responsible.

What happened: Protests against Israel broke out in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday evening following the blast at the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City. Video on Iraqi social media a group of men waving Palestinian flags in the city.

Students and government employees gathered in solidarity throughout Iraq on Wednesday upon the direction of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the official Iraqi News Agency reported.

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