Anti-Israel protesters storm Bahraini Embassy in Iraq

Bahrain on Friday recalled its ambassador to Iraq and summoned an Iraqi diplomat after protesters targeted its embassy in Baghdad on Thursday night. The protesters broke into the embassy’s courtyard and replaced the Bahraini flag with a Palestinian banner, while demonstrators outside burned the Israeli flag in retaliation for Bahrain’s decision to host a peace conference between Arabs and Israelis.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as an act of sabotage and said it brought home Ambassador Salah Ali al-Maliki for consultations. Bahraini officials told an Iraqi diplomat the attack was “an irresponsible behavior that is strongly rejected,” Bahrain’s state-run news agency reported.

Iraqi authorities have arrested 54 people in connection to the attack, Interior Minister Yassin al-Yassiry told Alsumaria News of Iraq. “We affirm our commitment to the inviolability of diplomatic missions, the need to ensure that their security is not threatened, and that the security of embassies are not violated,” Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Relations between Iraq and Gulf Arab nations such as Bahrain have continued to improve since Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi assumed office last year.