A number of missiles, some reports say as many as 12, either hit or landed near the US Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil on Sunday. Subsequent reports by Iranian state media said the strike had targeted “secret Israeli bases.”
Erbil is the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region of Iraq, which has warm relations with Israel. It is also an important center of operations in America’s ongoing war against the Islamist State (ISIS) and other jihadist groups in the region.
A US official later confirmed that the missiles had been launched from neighboring Iran, presumably by that country’s military, and not by some proxy group on the ground in Iraq.
#BREAKING: Reports several ballistic missiles hit the US base in Erbil pic.twitter.com/XMTXHDQs76
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) March 12, 2022
The US Consulate in Erbil is a new facility and is not yet occupied. As such, there are not believed to be any casualties in the Iranian attack. It is also possible that the strike was aimed at the nearby airport, from which American forces operate.
