Iraq: Multiple rockets fall in Erbil

Multiple rockets fell in Erbil, northern Iraq, early Sunday, officials said.

Erbil is the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

State television cited Iraqi Kurdistan’s health minister as saying that there were “no victims or casualties” after the blasts.

What we know about the explosions

Kurdish security forces said 12 ballistic missiles were fired against Erbil.

“The missiles were fired from outside the borders of Iraq and Kurdistan, [coming] more precisely from the east,” a press release from the Kurdistan counter-terrorism unit stated.

The AP news agency quoted a US defense official as saying the missiles were fired from Iran.

Iraqi security officials said at least six missiles were fired toward the US consulate in Erbil, according to the AP. They added that several missiles hit the building.

However, the AP reported, citing a US official, that there was no evidence that the attack was targeting the US consulate.

A US State Department spokesperson called it an “outrageous attack,” but added that there were no reports of casualties or damage to US government facilities.

Iraqi broadcaster Kurdistan24, whose studio is located near the US consulate, went on air after the attack and showed shattered glass and debris on the studio floor.

Several days ago, an Israeli strike near the Syrian capital Damascus killed two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Iran’s IRNA news agency reported on the attacks in Erbil while citing Iraqi media, but did not say where the attacks originated.

IRNA said that “two Mossad bases” in Erbil had been targeted in the attacks.

Earlier attacks on US targets in Iraq

In January 2020, Iran launched 22 ballistic missiles at two US targets in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani.

Some of the missiles struck the Ain Assad airbase, which hosted the largest US deployment in Iraq. There were no casualties from the strikes.