TEHRAN: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that it conducted missile strikes targeting what it referred to as Israel’s ‘spy headquarters’ in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
The elite IRGC force also claimed to have struck Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria as part of its retaliation for recent events, including the killing of three IRGC members, including senior commander Sayyed Reza Mousavi, in a missile strike in Lebanon.
According to the IRGC’s statement, the missile attacks aimed to avenge the “last drops of martyrs’ blood” and specifically targeted the Mossad espionage headquarters in Iraq’s Kurdistan. The IRGC vowed to continue offensive operations until achieving this objective.
The strikes have ignited concerns about the potential expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict to the broader Middle East region. Tehran had previously promised retaliation for the killing of its IRGC members.
In addition to targeting Kurdistan’s capital, Erbil, the IRGC fired ballistic missiles in Syria, claiming to have destroyed the perpetrators of recent terrorist operations, particularly those linked to the Islamic State.
While the targeted area in Erbil reportedly included a residential zone near the US consulate, two U.S. officials stated that no U.S. personnel or facilities were affected. However, the strikes resulted in civilian casualties, including the death of Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee and several members of his family.
The US State Department condemned the attacks, characterizing them as reckless, and the Iraqi government expressed condemnation, citing a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and the security of its people. Iraq announced its intention to take legal measures against the actions, including filing a complaint at the United Nations Security Council.
