The New York Times caught flack after the publication labeled Iranian-controlled militias, which attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, as "mourners."

"Hundreds of Iraqi mourners tried to storm the United States Embassy in Baghdad, shouting 'Down, down USA!,' in response to deadly American airstrikes this week that killed 25 fighters," the paper said in a Tuesday tweet.



Fix your tweet. Mourners? What a flat out lie. — Kambree Kawahine Koa - Text EMPOWER to 88022 (@KamVTV) December 31, 2019



The tweet met with swift condemnation from those saying they were parroting Iranian propaganda. Protesters shouted, "Death to America," as they broke into the embassy compound.



Your “mourners” must be upset about a video. But these attackers are Hezbollah supporters. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. #fixthis @nytimes https://t.co/43p72T49so — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 31, 2019

“Mourners.” It’s not hard to see which side the New York Times sympathizes with here https://t.co/kjcPW9XTd7 — Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) December 31, 2019

By “mourners,” the Times naturally means “jihadists and other supporters of jihad.”



Our media … 🤦‍♂️ https://t.co/HU1trEIwuN — Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) December 31, 2019

"Mourners?" This is woefully ignorant, or willfully misleading. The protests were a mob of Iranian-backed militias, including Kataeb Hezbollah.



For crying out loud, there are photos of Quds Force-allied individuals outside the U.S. facility. https://t.co/hH4qw4VDKX — John Cooper (@thejcoop) December 31, 2019





NYT using a novel definition of "mourners" here ("Iraqi militia paid and controlled by Iran") https://t.co/rOvQ2eMNwT — Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) December 31, 2019

Left: Iraqi mourners (actual protestors demanding freedom)



Right: “Iraqi Mourners” (Iran-Mullah backed militias) pic.twitter.com/xDPnI54PO3 — Imam of Peace (@Imamofpeace) December 31, 2019

The demonstration came in response to airstrikes by the United States against Iranian-backed militias, which were stationed in Iraq. The U.S. has sent in Marines to help reinforce the compound.

Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi called the airstrikes an "outrageous attack." Mahdi called for a three-day mourning period following the strikes.

The Iraqi military said an attack on foreign embassies would be "punishable by law with the most severe penalties." The U.S. ambassador to Iraq is planning to return to the embassy in Baghdad to show that "America is not going to flinch in the face of this pressure."