They did not report any deaths or injuries from gunfire.
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Meanwhile, a string of deadly bombings has killed more than 200 over the past couple of weeks in and around Baghdad.
Abadi reacted to the latest breach by saying that “storming state institutions. can not be accepted”, but added that he supports the “demands of the peaceful protesters”. The country is also in dire need to respond to an economic crisis sparked in part by a plunge in global oil prices.
“The tear gas is very strong”, said Ali Someri, 40, who was among the demonstrators.
Iraqi security forces at the time largely stood down, allowing protesters to scale walls and pull down concrete barriers.
Earlier this month, Sadr followers broke into the compound of parliament inside the Green Zone area, protesting a stalled vote in the chamber for endorsing Abadi’s nominees.
A flash on state television said the military had regained “complete control” after security forces opened fire.
As the crowds surged out, a steady stream of ambulances were still screeching in.
Fadhil al-Shuwaili, a member of the health committee on Baghdad’s provincial council, said three people had been confirmed killed: one by a gunshot to the head, one by a gunshot to the stomach and another who suffocated. That claim could not be verified.
Abadi had subsequently sacked the security chief for the Green Zone and beefed up measures around the restricted area. Some held Iraqi flags and flashed peace signs near the insignia of the prime minister’s press office and inside a meeting room.
Sadr, a Najaf-based cleric who once fought the US occupation, has recently cast himself as a champion of the drive against corruption.
The government briefly imposed a curfew on Baghdad on Friday and authorities later said that order had returned after what they called rioting at the Green Zone. “We can’t get close”.
In April, demonstrators assaulted the Iraqi parliamentary building demanding large-scale reforms and protesting against corruption.
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Several demonstrators, mostly supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, were wounded as the crowd rushed the prime minister’s office and the parliament building.
