James LaPorta and Nikhil Kumar
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRCG) claimed responsibility for ballistic missile attacks near the U.S. consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil Monday — a move described by a senior American intelligence official as an “escalation” in the conflict in the Middle East.
The IRCG, Iran’s most powerful military force, took responsibility for the attack on what it said were “espionage centers and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” near Erbil, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, according to Iranian state media.
There were no initial reports of American casualties, or damage to American facilities, a senior American intelligence official told The Messenger.
The attacks nonetheless constituted what the official described as an “escalation” in the conflict in the region amid the continuing war in Israel and Gaza.
The attacks in northern Iraq came shortly after news of IRCG attacks in Syria, where the Iranian group said it had struck what it described as “terrorist” targets in retaliation for recent suicide bombings inside Iran. The Islamic State terror group had claimed responsibility for those attacks.
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps… has identified locations of gathering places of commanders and main elements related to recent terrorist operations, in particular, ISIS, in the occupied territories of Syria and destroyed them by firing a number of ballistic missiles," the Guards' Sepah News website said, according to the AFP news agency.
Alex Plitsas, an analyst at the Atlantic Council, told The Messenger that much remained unclear about the Iranian attacks in Iraq — but if the U.S. consulate was in fact a target, it could trigger a response from Washington.
“Iran has only used proxies to attack U.S., Israeli, and coalition targets in the region since the War in Gaza began following Hamas’ October 7th terrorist attack in Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis,” he said.
“This is the first time Iran has fired ballistic missiles at targets in Iraq since the regime launched what it characterized as a retaliatory strike against US bases in Iraq following the assassination of former IRGC Commander Qassem Solemani (in early 2020).”
“The target of the attack in northern Iraq tonight is unclear, though missiles are said to have impacted near the U.S. consulate in Erbil. If the consulate was the target, this would be a significant escalation that would require a response from the United States,” he added.
The attacks come days after the U.S. and the U.K. launched two airstrikes in Yemen targeting the Houthis, the Iran-backed militant group that has been disrupting commercial shipping in the Red Sea with missiles and drones aimed at cargo vessels in what it says is an act of solidarity with Palestinians.
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