Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has launched a series of ballistic missile attacks on targets in Iraq and Syria affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. According to reports, the attacks resulted in the deaths of at least two civilians.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard released a statement via social media, stating that the attacks were in retaliation for recent crimes against Iran and targeted the headquarters of anti-Iran spies and other terrorist groups in the region.
In Iraq, the missile strikes are reported to have taken place near the US consulate in Erbil, resulting in the deaths of two civilians and injuring four others. Iraqi security sources have confirmed that the attack originated from Iranian territory.
The Revolutionary Guard’s statement pointed to the targeted location in Iraqi Kurdistan as a center for developing espionage operations and planning terrorist actions, specifically mentioning the espionage of “the Zionist entity,” referencing Israel.
The statement also emphasized that the offensive operations of the Revolutionary Guard will continue until the last drops of blood of the martyrs are avenged.
In a related development, a double suicide bombing in the Iranian city of Kerman on January 3 resulted in the deaths of at least 94 people. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred near the grave of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general who was killed by the US in 2020.
Iran has since detained approximately 35 individuals connected to the attack and maintained that at least one of the suicide bombers was an “Israeli with Tajik nationality.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has called for those “hidden” responsible for the attack to be “smashed,” with an apparent reference to the United States and Israel. The situation continues to escalate, with Iran responding forcefully to what it perceives as threats from external actors.