Iran Claims Strike on Israeli Spy Base in Iraq; Kurdistan Reports Civilian Deaths
BAGHDAD, Iraq (WHN) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missile strikes late Monday in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, claiming to have destroyed an Israeli “espionage headquarters” while Iraqi and Kurdish officials reported the attack killed at least four civilians in a private residence.
The strikes hit near Erbil. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) confirmed the dead included prominent businessman Peshraw Dizayee and his infant daughter.
In a statement released through state-controlled media, the IRGC claimed responsibility for the assault. The group stated the attack was in retaliation for recent Israeli actions, including the killing of Iranian commanders. The IRGC maintained its target was a strategic center for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Iraqi and Kurdish authorities vehemently deny this. They insist the target was a family home.
The KRG Security Council issued a statement condemning the attack as a “crime.” It called Tehran’s justification a baseless “pretext” to target the stability of Erbil. At least six other civilians were wounded in the strikes, which occurred near the site of a new U.S. consulate complex currently under construction.
Iraq’s government has formally protested the attack. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry labeled the strikes a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty and security in a public declaration.
“This aggression is a dangerous development that undermines the strong bilateral relations between Iraq and Iran,” the ministry’s statement read.
Baghdad has recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations. An urgent complaint is being prepared for the United Nations Security Council, Iraqi officials confirmed.
The United States condemned the missile launch. A U.S. State Department spokesperson described the strikes as “reckless and imprecise.”
No U.S. personnel or facilities were targeted in the incident, according to the State Department. The attack represents a significant escalation in a region already tense from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and related hostilities involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.
This was not an isolated event. The IRGC also claimed to have launched simultaneous strikes against what it called “anti-Iran terror groups” in Syria.
Iraq’s National Security Adviser, Qasim al-Araji, visited the site of the attack in Erbil. He told reporters that claims of a Mossad base in the area were “unfounded.”
