Iran’s Missile Strikes Shake Northern Iraq and Syria in Escalating Regional Turmoil
Targets include alleged Israeli 'spy headquarters' near U.S. consulate, leading to civilian casualties and heightened tensions in the troubled region.
In a significant escalation of regional tensions, Iran carried out missile strikes on Monday targeting what it claimed to be Israeli “spy headquarters” near the U.S. consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil. Simultaneously, missiles were also fired at locations associated with the Islamic State in northern Syria.
Tragically, the strikes resulted in the loss of four civilians’ lives and left six others injured in an upscale area near the consulate in Irbil, the administrative centre of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, according to the security council of the Kurdish regional government.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards asserted that they had successfully hit a Mossad headquarters, the Israeli intelligence agency, located in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Another statement from the Revolutionary Guards indicated that ballistic missiles were deployed to target and destroy “terrorist operations,” specifically focusing on Islamic State positions in Syria.
These attacks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the region, with concerns about a potential spill-over effect from the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have been carrying out near-daily drone attacks on bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. These actions have been described by the militias as retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel and an attempt to compel the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region.
The United States strongly condemned the missile strikes in Irbil, with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stating that they “undermine Iraq’s stability.” A U.S. defense official, speaking anonymously, noted that the missiles were tracked and that no U.S. facilities were affected. Initial assessments suggested that the strikes were characterized as “reckless and imprecise.”
Reports indicate that Irbil was targeted with several ballistic missiles, but specific details were not disclosed. A source from an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia claimed that ten missiles struck the vicinity of the U.S. consulate and attributed the launches to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
”The missile reportedly struck Dizayi’s residence, described as a “palace,” during the attack. The prominent businessman and owner of the most important success stories in Erbil, the builder of the Empire Complex, Al-Siddiq Bishru Dizi, and some members of his family, were killed, as a number of missiles claimed to have been fired by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard fell on his palace next to my house, which is under construction on the road to the Salah al-Din resort”. Dizayi’s death was confirmed by Mashan al-Jabouri, a former Iraqi member of parliament, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
