BAGHDAD — The Iraqi media regulatory body announced on Saturday its intention to revoke the operating license of a Saudi television network, MBC, following a severe incident at the broadcaster’s Baghdad office.
This decision came just hours after a sizable group of supporters of Iraqi militias forcefully entered and vandalized the MBC office, protesting a report that labeled several Iranian-affiliated militant figures — including a well-known Iraqi militia leader — as “terrorists.”

The contentious report highlighted various individuals considered “terrorists” who have been killed in recent years, drawing comparisons between former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Iranian-backed entities.
Notable figures mentioned included Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a prominent Iraqi militant recognized for his role as the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which is primarily composed of Shiite militias and includes the Kataeb Hezbollah faction.

The Media and Communications Commission of Iraq released a statement asserting that MBC had breached national broadcasting laws by making comments offensive to “martyrs, leaders of victory, and heroic resistance figures” who are reportedly engaged in a struggle against Israel, referred to in the statement as the “usurping Zionist entity.”
Consequently, the commission indicated it would direct its executive office to initiate the process to terminate MBC’s license.

Following the violent demonstration, the television station had already ceased its operations.

This incident arises amid increasing regional unrest tied to the ongoing conflicts involving Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as Israel’s engagements with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Militias backed by Iran in Iraq have maintained a limited involvement in these confrontations, recently conducting drone strikes on locations housing U.S. forces in retaliation for America’s support of Israel and, more recently, targeting areas within Israel itself.