Iran hits targets in northern Iraq, Syria with ballistic missiles

Tehran [Iran], January 17: Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said Tuesday that they attacked targets in northern Iraq and Syria with ballistic missiles on Monday.
The attack was in retaliation for the recent terrorist attacks in Iran, the IRGC web portal announced. The IRGC said the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia was "located in the occupied territories of Syria and destroyed by firing a series of ballistic missiles," according to the statement.
Almost simultaneously, several loud explosions shook the northern Iraqi city of Erbil shortly before midnight on Monday. Eyewitnesses said several missiles struck near a US consulate under construction.
The international airport in the Kurdish city was also hit, while panic spread throughout the metropolis. The IRGC said the strikes caused the "destruction of the spy headquarters of the Zionist regime (Mossad)." The director of Erbil International Airport said in statements that flights arriving at and departing from the airport were running normally.
Security sources in Erbil told DPA, "Iranian missiles fell on farms north of Erbil and hit citizens' homes and property." The Kurdish human rights organisation Hengaw had reported on X, formerly known as Twitter, about a missile attack from an IRGC missile base in western Iran. This was aimed at the city of Erbil, "the capital of the Kurdistan Region's government," wrote the Norway-based organisation.
The information could not initially be verified.
US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said on socila media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the US "strongly condemn(s) Iran's attacks in Erbil and offer condolences to the families of the victims. We oppose Iran's reckless missile strikes and support the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government's efforts to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people."
The situation in the region has been extremely tense since the outbreak of the Gaza war more than three months ago. There have been no rocket attacks by the IRGC since then.
However, militant groups allied with Iran have often attacked targets in Syria and Iraq in recent months. Israel and the US have been considered Iran's arch-enemies since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Meanwhile, Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has praised the Houthi militia's campaign of attacks against Israel and in support of the Palestinians. "The nation of Yemen and Ansar Allah have indeed done a great job," the state news agency IRNA quoted the 84-year-old as saying on Tuesday. Ansar Allah, Arabic for Supporters of God, is the official name of the Houthi movement.
Their work is proof of the struggle on God's path, he said. "We hope that these efforts will lead to victory," the supreme leader and head of state continued, according to IRNA.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, the Houthi militia has repeatedly attacked ships with an alleged Israeli connection in the Red Sea. Large shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the route. The United States and Britain recently attacked the group's positions in Yemen because of their actions. Iran is the only country in the world that maintains official diplomatic relations with the Houthis. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune