It remains unclear exactly what was hit, but we do know that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the strikes.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said they attacked “espionage centers” and “gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” with ballistic missiles near Iraq’s northern city of Erbil, according to Iranian state media reports late on Monday that were cited Reuters.
There were “no U.S. facilities impacted by Iranian ballistic missiles” that struck facilities in Erbil, Iraq, a U.S. defense official told The War Zone Monday afternoon. “There were no injures or damage to infrastructure” at the U.S. facilities located in that city in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Explosions were heard and seen some 40 kilometers northeast of Erbil, three security sources said, in an area near the U.S. consulate as well as civilian residences.
Exactly what the targets were remains unclear and it certainly isn’t the first time the region has come under direct attack by Iranian ballistic missiles. The area was reportedly struck by Iranian ballistic missiles in March 2022. Today’s attack, however, comes as tensions are at their most extreme in years. The October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas and the war that has ensued has drastically inflamed simmering hostilities in Middle East. On top of that, the crisis around the Red Sea has turned into a two-way shooting conflict between Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen and the U.S. and the U.K. that doesn’t look like it will be ending soon.
This is a developing story. We will update it when more details emerge.
Update: 6:03 PM Eastern –
Update: 7:30 PM Eastern –
Official Iranian media is claiming the attack on Erbil was aimed at an Israeli Mossad headquarters there.
“The Revolutionary Guards announced the destruction of the Baran missile and the destruction of the spy headquarters of the Zionist regime (Mossad) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” the official Iranian Tasnim News outlet reported on Twitter.
Kurdish media released video claiming to show the moment the attack took place.
The IRGC also targeted the Islamic State in Syria in response to a deadly attack carried out by ISIS near the grave of former IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani earlier this month, Iranian state media reports, according to the Times of Israel.
The strikes in Aleppo, Syria took place around the same time as reported IRGC strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan.
That attack on Aleppo was claimed to be Iran’s longest ever and a clear display of their ballistic missile capabilities.
Update: 8:51 PM Eastern –
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller issued the following statement condemning the Erbil attack:
“The United States strongly condemns Iran’s attacks in Erbil today and offers condolences to the families of those who were killed. We oppose Iran’s reckless missile strikes, which undermine Iraq’s stability. We support the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s efforts to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
