Iranian consulates torched in Najaf and Karbala
Protesters attacked the Iranian consulates in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala over the past month, yet officials deny that protesters are anti-Iran.
KARBALA, Iraq — Protesters have reportedly attempted to burn down the Iranian consulates in both of Iraq's holy cities, Najaf and Karbala, over the past month, with the consulate in Najaf torched twice in a single week.
The attacks in Najaf took place Nov. 27 and Dec. 1, two days after the Iraqi prime minister offered to resign following Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s Friday sermon in the city.
Protesters in Najaf also attacked the shrine of late Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, who was assassinated in 2003 after he returned to Iraq following two decades in Iran.
On Nov. 3, protesters attempted to burn down Karbala’s Iranian Consulate after a similar incident in Basra late last year.
