The U. S. Department of State The U. S. on Sunday condemned a missile attack claimed through Iran that fell near a giant U. S. consulate. The U. S. army in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil overnight.
“The moves were a scandalous violation of Iraq’s sovereignty. The facilities of the EE. UU. ni no workers were injured, and we have no indication that the attack was directed against the United States,” he said.
He added: “Iran will have to stop its attacks without delay, respect Iraqi sovereignty and stop its interference in Iraq’s internal affairs. The United States stands with our Iraqi partners, adding the Kurdistan Region, and will help our partners in the region protect themselves. “
In Baghdad, the Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a “flagrant violation of (Iraqi) sovereignty. “
Iraq summoned the ambassador of its best friend Iran, Iraj Masjidi, to protest the measures that, according to him, involve “material losses” and “damage to civilian services and housing. “
Authorities in northern Iraq said 12 ballistic missiles landed on Erbil in the pre-dawn cross-border attack that wounded two civilians.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards showed they fired the projectiles and said the attack targeted sites used by Israel, America’s most sensible ally.
A “strategic means of Zionist conspiracy and mischief directed through hard precision missiles fired through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the guards said in a statement.
Iran has abundant influence over the federal government in Baghdad, and Iraq is home to a dwindling number of U. S. troops leading a coalition opposed to the Islamic State jihadist group.
Sunday’s missile strike comes nearly a week after the Guardians, Iran’s ideological army, vowed to avenge the deaths of two of its officials killed in a rocket attack in Syria, which they blamed on Israel. Iran supports the government in Syria’s civil war.
Israel, the guards at the time, “will pay for this crime. “
The guards, in their statement, said: “Once again, we warn the corrupt Zionist regime that the repetition of any misdeed will face harsh, decisive and negative responses.
The governor of Erbil, Umid Khushnah, however, rejected as “unfounded” any of the Israeli sites in and around Erbil.
“There are no Israelis in the area. “
Although some Kurdish politicians have called for normalization with Israel, Erbil officials have moved away from the sensitive issue.
The governor told a news conference that missiles crashed into vacant buildings and homes were damaged.
The Interior Ministry in Erbil had said in the past that the target was a “new building” housing the U. S. consulate in a residential suburb of the city.
The Kurdistan24 TV channel, located near the U. S. consulate. In the U. S. , he posted on social media photographs of his broken offices, with sections of collapsed false ceilings and broken glass.
Iran’s regional rival, Saudi Arabia, expressed “solidarity” with Iraq and its measures “to protect its security and stability. “
Iraq’s increase in attacks with rockets and armed drones earlier this year.
This coincided with the anniversary of the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport.
In January, six rockets were fired at Baghdad International Airport, causing no casualties.
Iran responded to the 2020 killing by firing missiles at military bases in Iraq that house U. S. forces.
Sunday’s attack also comes as a lull in negotiations between Iran and world powers to revive their 2015 nuclear deal, even though the deal appeared to be close.
The setback came after Russia said it was not easy to promise that Western sanctions imposed on its own economy following the invasion of Ukraine would not affect Moscow’s industry with Tehran.
France’s foreign ministry condemned Sunday’s attack in the “strongest terms” and said such moves “jeopardize efforts to allow a return” to the nuclear deal.
If so, we have a request.
Every day, our news hounds aim to keep you informed about the maximum advances that deserve your attention. Millions of other people depend on ToI for a quick, fair and relaxed policy of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel, and we know you do too. So today we have a question: show your appreciation for our paintings by joining the Times of Israel community, an organization exclusively for readers like you who appreciate and fund our paintings.
That’s why we introduced The Times of Israel ten years ago, to provide discerning readers like you with a detailed policy of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other media outlets, we have not established a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become vital to help our paintings join the Times of Israel community.
For just $6 a month, you can help our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel WITHOUT ADVERTISING, as well as access exclusive content only for members of the Times of Israel community.
Thank you, David Horovitz, founding editor of The Times of Israel.