Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked espionage centers and "gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups" near Iraq's northern city of Erbil with ballistic missiles, Iranian state media said late on Monday.
Main square in front of the citadel, Erbil, Kurdistan © Mena Today
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked espionage centers and "gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups" near Iraq's northern city of Erbil with ballistic missiles, Iranian state media said late on Monday.
Explosions were heard in an area some 40 kilometers northeast of Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, three security sources said, in an area near the U.S. consulate as well as civilian residences.
Two dead and five wounded civilians had been brought to a local hospital after the explosions, two medical sources said.
Air traffic at Erbil airport was halted, the security sources said.
"Ballistic missiles were used to destroy espionage centers and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups in the region late tonight,” Iran’s Guards said in a statement.
Iran has in the past sometimes carried out strikes in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, saying the area is used as a staging ground for Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel.
Baghdad has tried to address Iranian concerns over separatist groups in the mountainous border region, moving to relocate some members as part of a security agreement reached with Tehran in 2023.
Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai and Timour Azhari in Baghdad
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel stands in solidarity with the Iranian people and their aspirations for freedom and justice, marking his first public reaction since protests erupted in Iran late last month.
At least 16 people have been killed during a week of unrest in Iran, rights groups said on Sunday, as protests over soaring inflation spread across the country prompting violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Fresh demonstrations were reported Saturday night in Tehran, while violence intensified in parts of western Iran, marking the eighth day of nationwide unrest, according to Iranian media on Sunday.
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