In the latest violence in Iraq, journalist Ahmed Hassan was shot in the head and shoulder on Monday in Diwaniyah, leaving him fighting for his life in intensive care, a doctor told AFP.

This followed an attack Sunday on Iran’s consulate in Karbala, north-west of Diwaniyah, when trailers and the perimeter of the buildings were set ablaze and anger over the killing of prominent activist Ihab Wazni earlier in the day.  

Some of the videos posted on social media by protesters show the perimeter of the Iranian consulate being set on fire(link is external). Other videos showed crowds of protesters chanting against Iran(link is external) at the shrine of Imam Hussain, the seventh century Shia Imam.

Mourners attend a funeral of Iraqi civil society activist Ehab al-Wazni killed by unidentified gunmen, in Karbala, Iraq, May 9, 2021.

Ihab Wazni, who was active in organizing anti-corruption protests that swept Iraq in October 2019, was shot dead overnight outside his home by unknown assailants. He opposed Iran’s extensive political influence in Iraq, where it strongly supports factions and militia. Wazni openly challenged prime minster Mustafa al-Kadhemi in February, asking via Facebook: “Do you know what is going on? You know that they kidnap and kill -- or you live in another country?” His death sparked daylong protests in Karbala that saw demonstrators block roads and bridges with burning tires.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh Monday, condemning the assault on the consulate, said Iran had presented a diplomatic note to Iraq Sunday asking for protection of its interests.

Iranian state media on Monday presented the attack as an act coordinated by unknown forces rather than an Iraqi manifestation of anger at the killing of an activist.

Iran's state broadcaster (IRIB) said the attack was part of a coordinated campaign.

"They made tens of photos and video clips of the place set on fire in the perimeter of the Iranian consulate and published them on the internet to instigate [protests] in other [Iraqi] provinces against Iran," IRIB News wrote Monday.

The Persian website of the IRIB's Arabic channel, Al-Alam, said Monday that "news from Iraq indicate Israel's spy agency Mossad is responsible for the assassination of activist Ehab al-Wazni." The Al-Alam website also quoted Iraqi journalist Mohammed al-Issa writing in a commentary, which it said had been published by "some Iraqi media" that Mossad was the prime suspect. According to Al-Alam, the journalist also said, "highly dismayed by Iran's victories in the Vienna [nuclear] talks", Israel was seeking to create tension through terrorism in countries in the region that have close political affinities with Iran to affect the outcome of the Vienna talks. However, an online search by Iran International found no trace of a journalist called Mohammad al-Issa.

The Al-Alam report also said Sunday attackers belonged to the same political faction that had attacked the consulate in November 2019, when at least three people were shot dead(link is external). It claimed Iraqi security forces had evidence and even attackers' confessions that proved they had connections with the embassies of US and some Arab countries. 

The popular protests that began in October 2019 and lasted for months were directed at daily hardships, including electricity cuts, and at a postwar political system, following the US-led 2003 invasion, and at leaders that Iraqis accuse of pillaging Iraq's wealth while the country grows poorer.

Protesters have also directed their rage at neighboring Iran and the powerful Iraqi Shiite militias tied to it. There have also been anti-government protests in the Kurdish north.

With reporting by AP