Missile attack on US consulate in Erbil; Ballistic missiles "fired from Iran"

 

Missile attack on US consulate in Erbil; Ballistic missiles "fired from Iran"

 In February of last year, a rocket attack was carried out on Erbil Airport

VOA: The US Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, was hit by a rocket on Sunday morning, VOA reports. Soran Khateri says the targeted area is a new building under construction by the US consulate. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) security forces have reportedly blocked roads leading to the US consulate.

Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces say at least six rockets hit the US consulate. does not have. The officials spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity and in accordance with regulations. An official says ballistic missiles were fired from Iran.

ABC News also quoted a US official as saying that the missiles had been fired from Iran.

In the first official response to the attack, Lisa McLean, a Republican from Michigan, tweeted, "I received reports of an attack on the US Consulate in Iraq by Iranian-backed forces. This attack shows that we must end Iran's nuclear talks right now. "We should never buy Iranian oil."

According to VOA correspondent Soran Khateri, Erbil International Airport also announced that flights at the airport were operating normally. However, the attack caused damage to surrounding buildings, including the Kurdistan تلویزیون TV building.

Soran Khateri says that after the missile attack, several fighters flew over Erbil and the defense systems of the US consulate were activated. There have also been reports of the target of the Hariri theoretical base near Erbil, the site of US forces.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Saturday that no casualties had been reported in the US military. Iraqi state television also quoted the Minister of Health in Iraqi Kurdistan Province as saying that there were no casualties in the blasts.

The governor of Erbil confirmed the firing of several missiles, saying it was not clear whether the target of the attacks was the US consulate or the city's international airport. He announced at the scene of the missile strike that the Kurdistan Anti-Terror Police would soon inform the public of the dimensions of the attack, which he called "terrorist."

The official Iraqi news agency reported five explosions as a result of the rocket fire, and videos posted on social media showed images of several large explosions.

Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Iraqi Shiite cleric, condemned the attack in a tweet. He wrote: Erbil is under the fire of shame and losers.

The head of the Kurdistan Region, Masroor Barzani, also condemned the attack on several areas in Erbil. "Erbil will not bow to the cowards," Barzani said in a statement issued by the Iraqi News Agency (INA). "I strongly condemn the terrorist attack that took place in several areas in Erbil."

"The attack that targeted the beloved city of Erbil and terrified its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people," said Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. "We have been following the developments with the brother of the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and our security forces will investigate this attack, and we will eliminate any damage to the security of our cities and the security of our citizens."

The attack came days after Israel's attack on Damascus in Syria, in which two members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed.

Some news sources say the attack may be in retaliation for the killing of two Iranian Revolutionary Guards commanders in Syria.