Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed responsibility for ballistic missile attacks in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan and Syria on Monday night, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Targets in Erbil are reported to include a base hosting US military personnel and a “Mossad headquarters”, while the IRGC said it was aiming for ISIS and other militant groups in Syria, Irna reported.
Two US officials told Reuters that no American bases were affected by missile strikes in Erbil and there were no US casualties.
The claimed attack on the “Mossad headquarters” was retaliation for targeting IRGC leaders, the organisation said.
“This headquarters was responsible for planning and running espionage operations and terrorist activities in the region, mainly our beloved country,” it said.
The IRGC also used Shahed 136 drones in the attacks in Iraq and Syria, according to Irna.
The airport in Erbil stopped traffic after explosions were heard above the city, Iraqi security sources told Reuters.
The Counter Terrorism Service in Kurdistan said that four civilians were killed and six wounded, some of them in critical condition.
“This is a blatant violation to the Iraqi sovereignty and Kurdistan Region,” the service said.
“The Federal Government and the International Community must not remain silent regarding this crime.”
Earlier, the Foreign Relations Office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, one of two powerful parties in the region, said a “number of civilians” were killed in the attacks.
They included well-known Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, his wife and close family members. It did not give more details.
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