Iran has claimed responsibility for an offensive missile launch near the vast US consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in the country. Syria killed two members of its Revolutionary Guards.
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Iran has claimed responsibility for an offensive missile launch near the vast US consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in the country. Syria killed two members of its Revolutionary Guards.
AP
BAGHDAD – Iran on Sunday claimed responsibility for an attack missile launch near the vast US consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, saying it was retaliation for a Israel’s offensive in Syria killed two members of its Revolutionary Guards earlier this week.
No injuries were reported in Sunday’s attack on the city of Irbil, marking a significant escalation between the US and Iran. Hostilities between longtime enemies often play out in Iraq, whose governments are allied with both countries.
Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards said on their website that they had attacked what they described as an Israeli spy center in Irbil. It gave no details, but in a statement said Israel carried out the attack, citing the recent attack that killed two members of the Revolutionary Guard. The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying that Iran had fired 10 Fateh missiles, including several Fateh-110 missiles, with a range of about 300 km (186 miles).
The source said the attack resulted in many casualties and said the main target of the missiles was “the Zionist base, far from the US military base.”
An Iraqi official in Baghdad initially said several rockets hit the US consulate in Irbil, the expected target of the attack. Later, Lawk Ghafari, head of Kurdistan’s foreign media office, said no missiles had hit the US facility but that residential areas around the complex had been hit.
In a Twitter post, he said the lack of international response to Iran’s repeated attacks on Kurdistan “is worrying” and is encouraging future attacks. future of Tehran.
A US defense official said the strike was launched from neighboring Iran and it remains unclear how many missiles were fired and where they landed. A second US official said there was no damage at any US government facilities and there was no indication the target was the consulate building, which is new and uninhabited.
Neither Iraqi nor US officials were authorized to discuss the event with the media and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Satellite channel Kurdistan24, located near the US consulate, broadcast from their studio shortly after the attack, showing broken glass and debris on the floor of their studio.
A photo released by Iran’s Defense Ministry in 2010 shows an upgraded Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missile at an undisclosed location, in Tehran, Iran.
Vahid Reza Alaei / Ministry of Defense of Iran via AP
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Vahid Reza Alaei / Ministry of Defense of Iran via AP
A photo released by Iran’s Defense Ministry in 2010 shows an upgraded Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missile at an undisclosed location, in Tehran, Iran.
Vahid Reza Alaei / Ministry of Defense of Iran via AP
The attack comes days after Iran said it would retaliate for an Israeli attack near Damascus, Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Sunday, Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted Iraqi media as admitting the attacks in Irbil, but did not say where they originated.
The attack happened during a time of heightened tension
The rocket explosion coincided with tensions in the region. Negotiations in Vienna over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal have come to a halt in response to Russian demands for sanctions against Moscow over its war with Ukraine. While, Iran suspends secret talks brokered by Baghdad aimed at easing years-long tensions with regional rival Saudi Arabia, after Saudi Arabia implemented perform the largest known volume in its modern history with more than three dozen Shiites killed.
Iraqi security officials said there were no casualties from the attack in Irbil, which they said occurred after midnight and caused material damage in the area. They spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with the regulations.
One of the Iraqi officials said the ballistic missile was fired from Iran without elaborating. He said the Iranian-made Fateh-110 missile may have been fired in retaliation for two Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria.
US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller said the US condemns the criminal attack on civilian targets in Irbil. “Elements of the Iranian regime have claimed responsibility for this attack and must be held accountable for the flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” he said in a statement posted by the US consulate in Irbil. load.
American forces stationed at Irbil airport have been hit by missile and drone attacks in the past, with US officials blaming Iran-backed groups.
The top US commander for the Middle East has repeatedly warned of the growing threats of attacks from Iran and Iran-backed militias on troops and allies in Iraq and Syria.
In an interview with the Associated Press in DecemberMarine General Frank McKenzie said that while U.S. forces in Iraq have moved into an air combat role, Iran and its allies still want all American troops out of the country. As a result, he said, that could trigger more attacks.
The Biden administration last July decided to end the US combat mission in Iraq on December 31, and US forces gradually transitioned to an advisory role last year. The military will still provide air support and other military aid to Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State.
The US presence in Iraq has long been a bright spot for Tehran, but tensions have spiked following a US drone strike in January 2020 near Baghdad airport that killed a cargo general. head of Iran. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at al-Asad airbase, where US troops are stationed. More than 100 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the explosions.
More recently, Iranian proxies are believed to be responsible for a assassination plot late last year about Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
And officials say they believe Iran is behind the October drone attack on a military outpost in southern Syria that hosts US troops. No US personnel were killed or injured in the attack.
Al-Kadhimi tweeted: “The attack on the dear city of Irbil and instilling fear in its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people.”
Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish-controlled region, condemned the attack. In a Facebook post, he said Irbil “will not bow to the cowards who carried out the terrorist attack.”
