Status: 15.01.2024, 23:20 p.m.
By: Daniel Dillmann
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The Iranian military fires missiles during an exercise (archive image). According to information from Tehran, targets in Syria have been shelled. © Dpa
Iran is firing missiles at targets in Syria. Explosions are also occurring in Iraq near US military positions.
Tehran (Iran) - Iran says it has attacked targets in Syria with missiles. The attack should be understood as retaliation for the recent terrorist attacks in Iran. According to the dpa news agency, the website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported this on Tuesday night (local time).
Almost at the same time, there was apparently also an attack in Iraq. Loud explosions are said to have shaken the northern Iraqi city of Erbil shortly before midnight. According to the Bild newspaper, Iran is also said to be behind these attacks. According to eyewitnesses, several rockets landed near a US consulate under construction. The international airport in the city, which is largely inhabited by Kurds, was also apparently attacked. Missiles and drones are said to have been used in the attack. Iran itself has not yet commented on the explosions in Iraq.
Iran confirms attack in Syria - unclear situation in Iraq
The attack in Syria, which was confirmed by Iran, was primarily directed against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). Their position was "located in the occupied territories of Syria and destroyed by firing a series of ballistic missiles," the statement said. It is also unclear exactly which targets Iran attacked.
The Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw had previously reported on X (formerly Twitter) about a missile attack from an IRGC missile base in western Iran. This was for the city of Erbil, the Norway-based organization wrote. Initially, the information could not be verified.
Iran's first attack since the outbreak of the Israeli war
The situation in the region has been extremely tense since the outbreak of the war in Israel more than three months ago. Since then, however, there have been no missile attacks by Iran. However, Iranian-allied militant groups have often attacked targets in Syria and Iraq in recent months. The Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran and stationed in Yemen, have also repeatedly attacked US and allied ships since the beginning of the war.
Israel and the U.S. have been Iran's archenemies since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. A devastating terrorist attack in early January claimed the lives of more than 90 people in Iran. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack a short time later. (dil/dpa)