Iran claims responsibility for missile attack on Erbil, Iraq

dpa Tehran Iran has claimed responsibility for a missile attack on several buildings in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan. Iran...

dpa Tehran Iran has claimed responsibility for a missile attack on several buildings in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) claimed that an Israeli intelligence base was the target and that the attack was in retaliation for suspected Israeli attacks in Damascus that killed two Iranians last week.The Revolutionary Guards warned Israel that further attacks would result in “even more consistent and destructive responses.”Earlier Kurdish officials said a dozen missiles from outside Iraq struck Erbil, the capital of the country’s autonomous region of Kurdistan, .Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service said 12 ballistic missiles struck Erbil in the direction of the US consulate in the city early on Sunday.The attack resulted in material damage without causing casualties, the service added in a statement, Iraq’s state news agency INA reported. The missiles originated from outside Iraq, specifically from the east, the service said without naming any country. Iran lies to the east of Iraq.Initially, Kurdistan’s Interior Ministry said the missiles had targeted the US consulate and landed in a residential area in the vicinity of the office of Kurdistan 24 television, injuring a civilian.  The Kurdish news website Rudaw reported that several buildings had been damaged in the attack, including the Kurdistan 24 TV office.Several missiles struck different areas of Erbil, including areas close to the new US consulate building in the city, which is under construction, Rudaw reported.Erbil province governor Umid Khozhnau said that it was unclear whether the missiles were aimed at the US Consulate or the Erbil Airport, the agency reported.No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.