Al-Abadi's Sunday statement came a day after hundreds of angry anti-government followers of influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr tore down blast walls and poured into the parliament building, exacerbating a long-simmering political crisis. Late Saturday, al-Abadi toured inside the parliament building, walking past damaged furniture.

Videos on social media showed a group of young men slapping two Iraqi lawmakers as they attempted to flee the crowd, while other protesters mobbed lawmakers' motorcades, AP reported.

The protesters eventually left the parliament Saturday night and rallied at a nearby square.