Saudi defence minister calls Iraq 'cherished neighbour' after strikes

Saudi defence minister calls Iraq 'cherished neighbour' after strikes Saudi Arabia's defence minister called Iraq a "cherished neighbour" in talks with a senior Iraqi army official on Thursday, despite last month's deadly US-Saudi strikes on targets in the country. The Riyadh visit was the first announced by an Iraqi security official to Saudi Arabia since Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's trip to the kingdom was cancelled after the strikes on 29 July. Officials from the Hashed al-Shaabi, an armed Iraqi alliance also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, which includes pro-Iran groups, said the US-Saudi strikes killed 20 militants, including five Iranians.