Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed to have attacked what they refer to as the “espionage headquarters” of Israel in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The elite force stated that ballistic missiles were used in the strike targeting “espionage centers and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” in the Kurdistan region.
The statement specifically named Israel’s Mossad spy agency. The Revolutionary Guards also reported launching attacks in Syria against “perpetrators of terrorist operations” in Iran, including the Islamic State.
Explosions were reported in an area northeast of Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan, near the US consulate and civilian residences. The US State Department condemned the attacks, describing them as “reckless” and undermining Iraq’s stability. Two US officials reported that no US facilities were affected by the missile strikes.
The strikes resulted in casualties, with at least four civilians killed and six injured in Erbil. Among the deceased was Peshraw Dizayee, a multimillionaire Kurdish businessman with close ties to the region’s ruling elite.
The security sources mentioned that one rocket hit the house of a senior Kurdish intelligence official, and another struck a Kurdish intelligence center.
The situation has raised tensions in the region, and air traffic at Erbil airport was halted. Iran has previously conducted strikes in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, citing concerns about separatist groups and alleged Israeli agents operating from the area.
The latest attacks come against the backdrop of broader geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
