BAGHDAD: Iraq summoned Iran’s envoy in Baghdad and recalled its ambassador from Tehran on Tuesday in a pointy rebuke to its ally over lethal missile strikes on its autonomous Kurdish area.
Iraq challenged Iran’s declare that the strikes focused Israel’s intelligence providers in response to latest Israeli assassinations of Iranian and pro-Iranian commanders.
It mentioned it might lodge a grievance with the UN Safety Council over the Iranian “assault on its sovereignty”.
Iran’s strikes, which additionally hit alleged Islamic State group targets in Iraq’s western neighbour Syria, got here with tensions excessive throughout the Center East as Israel battles Iran ally Hamas and likewise drew condemnation from america.
4 folks had been killed and 6 wounded within the strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan, the area’s safety council mentioned.
The casualties included outstanding actual property magnate Peshraw Dizayee, his spouse and different relations who had been hit by a strike on their residence, the area’s main get together, the Kurdistan Democratic Occasion, mentioned.
Iran defended its missile strikes in Iraq and Syria, saying they had been a “focused operation” and “simply punishment” towards those that breach the Islamic republic’s safety.
“The Islamic republic, with its excessive intelligence functionality, in a exact and focused operation recognized the criminals’ headquarters and hit it with precision weapons,” overseas ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani mentioned.
– ‘Blood of the martyrs’ –
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards mentioned that they had destroyed the “Zionist regime’s spy headquarters within the Kurdistan area of Iraq.”
The strike got here “in response to the latest vicious actions of the Zionist regime which martyred the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and the resistance entrance,” a Guards assertion carried by Iran’s official IRNA information company mentioned.
Senior Guards commander Razi Moussavi was killed in a strike in Syria final month that was broadly blamed on Israel. This month, Hamas quantity two Saleh al-Aruri was killed in a Beirut strike, that Lebanese officers blamed on Israel.
The Guards mentioned their reprisals “will proceed till the final drops of blood of the martyrs are avenged.”
They mentioned additionally they struck a “gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist teams” within the Kurdish regional capital Arbil.
The Iraqi overseas ministry mentioned it might publish the findings of the official investigation, promising to show to “Iraqi and worldwide public opinion the falseness of the allegations made by these accountable for these reprehensible actions.”
The autonomous Kurdish area’s prime minister Masrour Barzani mentioned he would keep up a correspondence with “our companions inside the worldwide neighborhood to place an finish to those brutal assaults”.
– ‘Reckless’ –
The USA condemned the Iranian strikes as “reckless”.
“We oppose Iran’s reckless missile strikes, which undermine Iraq’s stability,” US State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned in a press release.
A White Home spokesperson mentioned no US personnel or amenities had been hit within the Iranian strikes.
Iraq has seen an surge of unrest since Hamas militants launched an unprecedented assault on southern Israel on October 7, prompting devastating Israeli retaliation carried out with US help.
Iran-backed militant teams in Iraq and Syria have carried out a spate of assaults on army bases within the two nations utilized by troopers of a US-led coalition towards IS.
Washington has responded with missile strikes focusing on the Iran-backed teams which have additionally drawn condemnation from Baghdad as a a breach of its soverignty.
In November 2022, Iran launched missile strikes towards the northern Iraq bases of Iranian-Kurdish insurgent teams it accused of fomenting a wave of protests that swept the nation after the dying in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini.
In March 2022, the Guards carried out missile assaults in Arbil that it mentioned focused a “strategic centre” operated by arch foe Israel.
Contacts with Israel are outlawed in Iraq however some politicians and businessmen in Arbil have prior to now been accused of sustaining casual ties. The Iraqi Kurdish authorities deny any contacts.
In Syria, the Guards mentioned they struck gathering locations for “commanders and foremost parts associated to latest terrorist operations, significantly the Islamic State group”.
“At the least 4 missiles” had been fired from the Mediterranean triggering explosions in second metropolis Aleppo and its outskirts, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights struggle monitor mentioned.
The Guards mentioned the strike was in response to latest assaults in Iran.
On January 3, IS suicide bombers struck crowds gathered close to the tomb of Guards normal Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, killing round 90 folks.
In December, an assault claimed by jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Military of Justice) killed at the least 11 cops in Iran’s southeast.
Iraq challenged Iran’s declare that the strikes focused Israel’s intelligence providers in response to latest Israeli assassinations of Iranian and pro-Iranian commanders.
It mentioned it might lodge a grievance with the UN Safety Council over the Iranian “assault on its sovereignty”.
Iran’s strikes, which additionally hit alleged Islamic State group targets in Iraq’s western neighbour Syria, got here with tensions excessive throughout the Center East as Israel battles Iran ally Hamas and likewise drew condemnation from america.
4 folks had been killed and 6 wounded within the strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan, the area’s safety council mentioned.
The casualties included outstanding actual property magnate Peshraw Dizayee, his spouse and different relations who had been hit by a strike on their residence, the area’s main get together, the Kurdistan Democratic Occasion, mentioned.
Iran defended its missile strikes in Iraq and Syria, saying they had been a “focused operation” and “simply punishment” towards those that breach the Islamic republic’s safety.
“The Islamic republic, with its excessive intelligence functionality, in a exact and focused operation recognized the criminals’ headquarters and hit it with precision weapons,” overseas ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani mentioned.
– ‘Blood of the martyrs’ –
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards mentioned that they had destroyed the “Zionist regime’s spy headquarters within the Kurdistan area of Iraq.”
The strike got here “in response to the latest vicious actions of the Zionist regime which martyred the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and the resistance entrance,” a Guards assertion carried by Iran’s official IRNA information company mentioned.
Senior Guards commander Razi Moussavi was killed in a strike in Syria final month that was broadly blamed on Israel. This month, Hamas quantity two Saleh al-Aruri was killed in a Beirut strike, that Lebanese officers blamed on Israel.
The Guards mentioned their reprisals “will proceed till the final drops of blood of the martyrs are avenged.”
They mentioned additionally they struck a “gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist teams” within the Kurdish regional capital Arbil.
The Iraqi overseas ministry mentioned it might publish the findings of the official investigation, promising to show to “Iraqi and worldwide public opinion the falseness of the allegations made by these accountable for these reprehensible actions.”
The autonomous Kurdish area’s prime minister Masrour Barzani mentioned he would keep up a correspondence with “our companions inside the worldwide neighborhood to place an finish to those brutal assaults”.
– ‘Reckless’ –
The USA condemned the Iranian strikes as “reckless”.
“We oppose Iran’s reckless missile strikes, which undermine Iraq’s stability,” US State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned in a press release.
A White Home spokesperson mentioned no US personnel or amenities had been hit within the Iranian strikes.
Iraq has seen an surge of unrest since Hamas militants launched an unprecedented assault on southern Israel on October 7, prompting devastating Israeli retaliation carried out with US help.
Iran-backed militant teams in Iraq and Syria have carried out a spate of assaults on army bases within the two nations utilized by troopers of a US-led coalition towards IS.
Washington has responded with missile strikes focusing on the Iran-backed teams which have additionally drawn condemnation from Baghdad as a a breach of its soverignty.
In November 2022, Iran launched missile strikes towards the northern Iraq bases of Iranian-Kurdish insurgent teams it accused of fomenting a wave of protests that swept the nation after the dying in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini.
In March 2022, the Guards carried out missile assaults in Arbil that it mentioned focused a “strategic centre” operated by arch foe Israel.
Contacts with Israel are outlawed in Iraq however some politicians and businessmen in Arbil have prior to now been accused of sustaining casual ties. The Iraqi Kurdish authorities deny any contacts.
In Syria, the Guards mentioned they struck gathering locations for “commanders and foremost parts associated to latest terrorist operations, significantly the Islamic State group”.
“At the least 4 missiles” had been fired from the Mediterranean triggering explosions in second metropolis Aleppo and its outskirts, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights struggle monitor mentioned.
The Guards mentioned the strike was in response to latest assaults in Iran.
On January 3, IS suicide bombers struck crowds gathered close to the tomb of Guards normal Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, killing round 90 folks.
In December, an assault claimed by jihadist group Jaish al-Adl (Military of Justice) killed at the least 11 cops in Iran’s southeast.
