Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched missile attacks on multiple “terrorist” targets in Syria and the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq, according to reports from the official IRNA news agency, as quoted by AFP.
The attacks, reported on Tuesday, targeted what the IRGC referred to as a “spy headquarters” and a “gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdistan security council reported four people killed and six others wounded in the attack. The Kurdistan Democratic Party identified one of the casualties as prominent businessman Peshraw Dizayee.
In addition to the strikes in Iraq, the IRGC hit targets in Syria with ballistic missiles. The Sepah News service reported that the targets included the “gathering places of commanders and main elements related to recent terrorist operations, particularly the Islamic State group.” The missile strike on Syria was described as a response to recent attacks by terrorist groups that resulted in the deaths of Iranians in the southern cities of Kerman and Rask, as per AFP reports.
Explosions were reported in Aleppo and its countryside, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor stating that “at least 4 missiles that came from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea” fell in the region.
The background to these missile attacks includes a suicide bombing incident on January 3, where attackers targeted crowds near the tomb of the revered IRGC general Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, resulting in approximately 90 casualties. ISIS claimed responsibility for this attack.
In December, an attack on a police station in Rask led to the deaths of at least 11 Iranian police officers. The jihadist group Jaish al-Adl, blacklisted by Iran as a “terrorist” group, claimed responsibility for this attack.
Tensions in the region have escalated due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, drawing in Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Notably, in March 2022, the IRGC carried out missile attacks in Arbil, claiming to target a “strategic centre” belonging to its arch-foe, Israel. Additionally, on December 25, Iran reported that an Israeli strike killed the senior Guards commander Razi Moussavi.
The recent missile attacks underscore the complex and volatile dynamics in the region, with Iran responding forcefully to perceived threats from terrorist organizations and external actors. The situation remains fluid, and further developments are closely monitored.
