Iran attacks targets in Syria and Iraq

The elite paramilitary unit said on its Seba News website on Monday that a “series of ballistic missiles” had been fired at meeting points with commanders of Islamic State (IS) jihadist fighters in Syria.

Revolutionary Guards destroyed an “intelligence headquarters” and “a gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, state news agency IRNA reported.

“Response” to attacks in mid-December

The attacks in Syria were a “response” to attacks on a funeral procession in Kerman and a police headquarters in the city of Rusk in mid-December, Seba reported.

In early January, two bombs exploded in the city of Kerman at a memorial service for General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by the US military four years ago. IS claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 89 people. Eleven police officers were killed in an attack on police headquarters in Rasqil, southeastern Iran, in mid-December. The Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) rebel movement, which Iran classifies as a terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for the attack.

In Iraq, Revolutionary Guards attacked the “spy headquarters” of the Israeli secret service Mossad in a rocket attack, IRNA reported. Officials in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region said at least four civilians were killed and six others wounded in an Iranian attack on Erbil.

American bases were also attacked

as “Bild” newspaper It was reported late on Monday evening that the US embassy and a US base at the city's airport had also been hit in strikes on targets in northern Iraq.

The attack used drones launched from Iraq and six ballistic missiles that, as Bild writes, were “according to multiple reports” launched directly from Iran at US targets.

On Tuesday night, US officials confirmed to US media that Iranian missiles had struck “in the immediate vicinity of the US Embassy”.