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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq last Sunday.
The IRGC reportedly fired 12 Fateh-110 ballistic missiles from Iranian territory in an unprecedented attack, which appeared to target the new U.S. Consulate in the city. The attack – condemned by the UK Government as “senseless” and “unprovoked” – came amidst an apparent “pause” in protracted negotiations in Vienna to restore the JCPOA nuclear deal. Iran has been increasingly using ballistic missiles in attacks to destabilise the region, including attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq, major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and also the UAE.
The IRGC claimed the attack was in retaliation to “the recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime”, which is seen as a reference to the recent killing of two senior IRGC commanders in Syria by Israel. Reports have also emerged this week that it may be a response to an alleged Israeli strike in Iran in February that destroyed hundreds of IRGC drones. The IDF believes Iran is attempting to arm its proxies in the region — in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen — with hundreds of UAVs and there have been several breaches of Israel’s airspace by drones in recent months, including one launched by Hezbollah which was not intercepted.
The U.S. designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation in 2019. US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller commented on the attack, stating that the IRGC “must be held accountable for this flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and terrorist attacks on the property of innocent civilians”.
Omed Khoshnaw, the Governor of Erbil, explained that the target of the attack was unclear – it is speculated that the target was either the airport or the U.S. Consulate complex which is currently under construction. The TV studio for Kurdistan 24 TV was also damaged. No injuries were reported, but the attack marked an escalation in the IRGC violence, as previously this year their efforts were focused on targeting Israeli-owned commercial ships.
