Iran Launches Missile Strikes on Targets in Iraq and Syria, Killing Civilians

Tehran, Iran – In a recent development, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced on Tuesday that they had conducted a series of missile strikes on “terrorist” targets in Iraq and Syria, resulting in the deaths of at least four civilians in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

These strikes come at a time of heightened regional tensions, with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, raising concerns of a potential escalation between allies of the two sides.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council condemned the “reckless and indiscriminate” strikes, while clarifying that no American personnel or facilities were targeted.

A headquarters of “espionage” that was allegedly linked to Israel was targeted, as well as a gathering of “anti-Iranian terrorist groups” by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, according to official news agency IRNA.

The United States Department of State emphasized its opposition to these “irresponsible” strikes, which it claimed undermined the stability of Iraq.

In addition, the Revolutionary Guards announced on their website that they had identified and destroyed several locations in Syria associated with the recent wave of terrorist operations, particularly those carried out by the Islamic State (IS).

These strikes were reportedly in response to recent attacks that targeted several Revolutionary Guards commanders and key figures within the “axis of resistance” – a term used to describe Tehran’s allies in its struggle against Israel.

Reports from the Kurdistan Regional Government stated that at least four civilians were killed and six others were injured in the Iranian missile strikes. The targeted missiles struck a high-end residential area in the outskirts of Erbil, northeast of the Kurdish capital.

The Kurdistan Security Council accused Tehran of using baseless justifications for its repeated bombings in the region. The Prime Minister of the region, Masrour Barzani, called on the government of Baghdad to take a firm stance against this violation of Iraqi sovereignty and pledged to coordinate with international partners to put an end to these brutal attacks.

Earlier, the ruling party in Erbil, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), reported the deaths of civilians, including a real estate magnate, Peshraw Dizayee, his wife, and other family members whose residence was hit by the missiles.

The attacks in Erbil were allegedly carried out in retaliation for the recent assassinations of several Revolutionary Guards commanders as well as leaders of the “axis of resistance.” Notable incidents include the killing of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy leader of Hamas, and six other senior officials of the Palestinian militant group in a strike near Beirut, as well as the assassination of Wissam Tawil, a senior military official of the Lebanese Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon. Both incidents were attributed to Israel.