Iran’s IRGC strikes 'spy centers' in Iraq with ballistic missiles
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Iranian forces claimed an attack on “spy centers” in Iraq and ISIS targets in Syria on Monday night, constituting a major escalation in the regional conflict as the Israel-Hamas war marks 100 days.
Reuters reported that explosions were heard around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Erbil — the capital of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq — close to the US consulate around midnight 11:30 pm local time (3:30 pm ET). Two civilians were killed and five were injured, according to the outlet.
Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament Hemn Hawrami said in a post on X that prominent businessman Peshraw Dizaiy was killed in the attacks alongside four members of his family.
No US facilities were impacted, two US officials told Al-Monitor’s Pentagon correspondent Jared Szuba.
My condolences to family of the Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee who was killed in the attack on Erbil by IRGC. pic.twitter.com/XH8nQrtwn3
— Murad Ismael (@murad_ismael) January 15, 2024
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it hit “spy centers” belonging to Israel’s spy agency the Mossad in Erbil in northern Iraq with ballistic missiles, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported. The IRGC said the attacks in Syria and Iraq are in response to the Jan. 3 twin blasts targeting the city of Kerman, and which left at least 84 killed. ISIS claimed the Kerman attack targeting the Qasem Soleimani memorial site.
The attacks follow suspected Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets in Syria, including a strike that killed senior IRGC commander Sayyed Razi Mousavi last month.
The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, an umbrella of pro-Iran militias in the country, has claimed many of the attacks — as opposed to the IRGC itself. The militias say the strikes are in response to the war in Gaza.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted more than 100 times since Oct. 17. Washington retaliated by hitting Iran-allied militias at least two times since then.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have also targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea more than 20 times since Nov. 19 in response to the war. The US and UK struck Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday in response to the attacks on the ships.
Earlier on Monday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Houthis struck a US-owned ship off the Gulf of Aden.
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