Amid escalating tensions in the region, Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched missile strikes on what they deemed "terrorist" sites in both Iraq and Syria, as reported by the official Islamic Republic News Agency on Tuesday.
The attacks targeted a "spy headquarters" and a "gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups" in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The strike resulted in the death of four individuals, with six others sustaining injuries, according to Iraq's Kurdistan Security Council. Among the casualties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party identified prominent businessman Peshraw Dizayee.
The IRGC also conducted missile strikes in Syria, aiming at 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. This action was framed as a response to recent attacks by terrorist groups that claimed the lives of Iranians in the southern cities of Kerman and Rask.
Explosions were reported in Aleppo and its surrounding areas, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor noted that "at least 4 missiles that came from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea" had landed.
The move comes in the wake of a suicide bombing on January 3 near the tomb of the revered IRGC general Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, which resulted in approximately 90 casualties. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Additionally, in December, a police station in Rask witnessed an attack that claimed the lives of at least 11 Iranian police officers. The jihadist group Jaish al-Adl, designated as a "terrorist" group by Iran, took responsibility for the assault.
Tensions in the region have been heightened due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, drawing in Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Earlier in March 2022, the IRGC carried out missile attacks in Arbil, claiming to target a "strategic center" belonging to their arch-foe, Israel.
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