Iran Hits Israeli 'Spy HQ' In Iraq Amid Escalating Regional Tensions

Missile attacks on multiple "terrorist" targets in Syria and Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region were reported by state media on Tuesday, launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. According to the official IRNA news agency, a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed that the attacks led to the destruction of "a spy headquarters" and a "gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups" in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, reported AFP.

The Kurdistan Security Council in Iraq reported four people killed and six wounded in the attack, including the prominent businessman Peshraw Dizayee, as mentioned by the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Additionally, targets in Syria were struck by the IRGC with ballistic missiles, targeting the "gathering places of commanders and main elements related to recent terrorist operations, particularly the Islamic State group," as reported by their Sepah News service. The strike on Syria was indicated to be in response to recent attacks by terrorist groups that resulted in the death of Iranians in the southern cities of Kerman and Rask, as reported by AFP.

The attacks have been condemned by the United States, terming the strikes as "reckless." In a statement, it was conveyed by US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller that the United States strongly condemns the attacks in Erbil by Iran today. Condolences were offered to the families of those who were killed, and opposition was expressed against Iran's reckless missile strikes, which were deemed to undermine Iraq's stability.

Explosions were reported in Aleppo and its countryside, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor indicated that "at least 4 missiles that came from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea" fell.

On January 3, crowds gathered near the tomb of the revered IRGC general Qasem Soleimani in Kerman were struck by suicide bombers, resulting in the death of around 90 people. The attack was later claimed by IS.

In December, an attack on a police station in Rask led to the killing of at least 11 Iranian police officers. The jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), formed in 2012 and blacklisted by Iran as a "terrorist" group, claimed responsibility for the attack, reported NDTV.

Israeli 'spy operations'

• Alleged Israeli "spy headquarters" in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region was struck by the IRGC, reported Iran's IRNA news agency
• The headquarters, according to the IRGC, had been identified as "the centre for developing espionage operations and planning terrorist actions in the region," with Israel's Mossad spy organization being named.
• The strike was stated to be in response to recent attacks on Iran and the "axis of resistance," consisting of Iran-aligned groups, amid concerns about violence spreading from Israel's war in Gaza.
• Regional tensions escalated during the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, involving Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
• In March 2022, missile attacks were carried out by the IRGC in Arbil, claiming to target a "strategic centre" belonging to arch-foe Israel.
• On December 25, Iran reported that a senior Guards commander, Razi Moussavi, was killed in an Israeli strike.
• On January 8, Israel reportedly killed Wissam Hassan Tawil, a top commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, following an Israeli missile strike on Beirut that killed Saleh al-Aruri, a senior leader of Hamas supported by Iran.