Tehran and Tel Aviv avoid direct confrontation and turn Syria and Iraq into an arena for skirmishes.
Missiles do not know the way to Tel Aviv
Erbil - Iran implemented its threats to respond to painful Israeli attacks targeting senior leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syrian bases by targeting what it described as an Israeli "strategic center" in Erbil, but it has limited its operations in Iraq without targeting Israel as it vowed, which indicates Iranian fear of Fatah A direct front with the Israelis, whether by firing long-range missiles or asking Hezbollah to launch the attack on their behalf.
In a statement about the attack, the Revolutionary Guards said on its website, Sepah News, that "the strategic center of Zionist conspiracy and evil was targeted with powerful and (accurate) missiles belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," while the Kurdish government denied the presence of Israelis.
A statement by the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Service confirmed that "at one o'clock in the morning, 12 ballistic missiles were targeted at the city of Erbil," explaining that "the missiles were launched from outside the borders of Iraq and the Kurdistan region, specifically from the east." The statement added, "The missiles were directed at the American consulate in Erbil," and that the attack did not result in "losses of life."
Iraq is satisfied with requesting clarification from Iran in response to the attack that injured two people
It is clear that the use of ballistic missiles in what it calls Israeli centers in Erbil is intended because it is known that ballistic missiles are less accurate at hitting the target than cruise missiles or drones.
The Revolutionary Guard had vowed about a week ago to respond to an Israeli bombing near Damascus, which led to the killing of two of its officers.
Despite the systematic Israeli targeting of the Iranian presence in Syria, and Tehran's constant reiteration that it will respond directly to Israel, the two sides avoid direct confrontation by turning Syria and Iraq into an arena for skirmishes that do not drag them into a direct clash.
At the beginning of the year, the country witnessed an escalation in missile and drone attacks, coinciding with the second anniversary of the assassination of the former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, who were killed by an American strike at Baghdad airport.
The reaction of the Iraqi authorities, who only asked for clarifications about the attack, which wounded two people, surprised local and Arab public opinion. On Sunday, Iraq called on Iran for a “frank clarification” about the missile attack that targeted the Erbil governorate, in the Kurdistan region in the north of the country.
This came in a statement issued by the Iraqi National Security Ministerial Council, after its exceptional meeting, headed by the caretaker Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, in the capital, Baghdad, to discuss the attack.
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The Ministerial Council statement stated that "the missile attack that was launched from Iranian territory and targeted the Iraqi city of Erbil is an attack on the principle of good neighborliness between Iraq and Iran, and the historical relationship that binds the peoples of the two neighboring countries, as well as a violation of international laws and norms." And he added, "Iraq has previously announced its refusal to violate its sovereignty and use its lands to settle scores between countries and entities."
He declared that "Iraq has requested, through diplomatic outlets, frank and clear explanations from the Iranian side, and is awaiting a position from the Iranian political leadership in rejecting the aggression."
Commenting on the attack, the Kurdistan Regional Government said in a statement that "Erbil was subjected to a cowardly attack under the pretext of striking an Israeli base near the American consulate in Erbil."
The President of the Region, Nechirvan Barzani, condemned Sunday's attack in a statement, saying that "the targeting of Erbil in this way and its repetition, is a dangerous precedent and a flagrant violation of the security, stability and sovereignty of Iraq." Iraqi President Barham Salih also condemned the attack, calling to "stand firmly against attempts to plunge the country into chaos."
Meanwhile, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, agreed with the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani, to form a committee to “verify the allegations of the presence of Israeli headquarters in Erbil,” according to a statement by al-Sadr’s office.
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