In a grim demonstration that the war between Israel and Hamas has already escalated across the region, Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirmed that it had used longrange ballistic missiles against the socalled “spy center” of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad in Erbil, in neighboring Iraq.
Erbil is the capital of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, which has close ties to the United States and where the Baghdadbased Iraqi government has little influence.
“The headquarters was responsible for planning and executing espionage and terrorist operations in the region, especially in our beloved country,” the IRGC statement said.
There are indications that the attack was in response to Israel's assassination of Revolutionary Guard General Razi Mousavi in Damascus, Syria, one of Iran's contacts with the allied government of Bashar alAssad.
Tehran also confirmed that it had fired ballistic missiles at the Aleppo region of Syria, where Islamic State bases are located.
ISIS claimed there was an attack in Kerman, Iran, killing at least 84 people during the memorial service for General Qasem Soleimani.
Soleimani was assassinated by the United States in Baghdad in 2020. He headed the Quds Force, a branch of the IRGC. He was one of those responsible for organizing the Axis of Resistance against Israel. Soleimani also organized the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
MESSAGE TO THE UNITED STATES
The attack on Erbil may have been an indirect message from Tehran to the United States and Israel.
The buildings attacked are near the US consulate, a US military base and the city's closed airport.
The explosions reportedly caused damage to the consulate.
According to Kurdish media, one of those killed was Peshraw Majid Agha, one of the richest men in Iraq. As an investor in the local real estate market, the billionaire controls the company Falcon Oil & Gas, which is intended to facilitate the export of oil from Kurdistan to Israel.
Images of the attack show three rockets directly hitting Agha's villa.
The businessman is close to Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdish region who has good relations with Tel Aviv.
The billionaire is not mentioned in the note in which Iran admitted the attacks.
Local sources speculate that the billionaire was a Mossad “asset” and employed former US military personnel in his companies, which requires independent confirmation.
On Friday, Iran recaptured the oil tanker “São Nicolas” in the Gulf of Oman, which had previously been hijacked by the United States as part of Washington's sanctions against Tehran.
Although indirect, they are clear evidence that Iran will not monitor the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
HUTIS ON THE OFFENSIVE
According to US Central Command, the Houthis today attacked the cargo ship Gibraltar Eagle, which flies the flag of the Marshall Islands but is owned by a US company.
The attack caused no damage or injuries and the ship continued sailing.
Hours earlier, a missile from the Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital, was fired at a United States destroyer but was intercepted.
The Houthis are Shiites who control about a third of Yemen's territory. Although they have a different Shia background, they are allies of Iran.
After they began attacking ships in the Red Sea, sea freight prices skyrocketed.
The Houthis say their targets are ships entering the southern Red Sea bound for Israeli ports or leaving Israel for Asia.
The main losers are two Israeli billionaires who control major shipping companies, Idan Ofer and Abraham Ungar.