Iran claims missile barrage in Iraq, says targeted ‘Israeli site’
- A dozen missiles hit Iraq’s northern city of Arbil, some land near new US consulate
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards carried out the attack against Israeli ‘strategic centre’
Iran claimed responsibility for missile strikes Sunday on the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, saying they targeted an Israeli “strategic centre” and warning of more attacks.
Kurdish authorities insisted the Jewish state has no sites in or near Arbil, capital of their autonomous region in the country’s north.
In Baghdad, the foreign ministry condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of (Iraqi) sovereignty”.
Iraq summoned the ambassador of its ally Iran, Iraj Masjidi, to protest at the strikes that had caused “material losses” and “damage to civilian installations and houses”.
The authorities in northern Iraq said 12 ballistic missiles rained down on Arbil in the predawn cross-border attack that lightly wounded two civilians. The missiles came down in areas near a new US consulate building, according to Kurdish officials.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed they fired the projectiles, saying the attack targeted sites used by Israel, a top ally of the US.