The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said early Thursday that a day earlier it struck “a technical spy centre affiliated with the Zionist entity northeast of Erbil with appropriate weapons.”
Peshawa Hawramani, the KRG spokesperson, categorically denied the allegation.
“An outlaw force has announced bombarding an Israeli base in Erbil with a drone. This news by these groups and illegal forces is baseless and untrue. There are no Israeli bases in the Region,” he said.
The militia group has carried out dozens of drone and missile attacks against United States forces based in Syria and Iraq, including Erbil, in response to American support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“Targeting Erbil for various excuses only proves how confused these groups are. These are cowardly and terrorist actions,” Hawramani said.
Kurdish officials have many times denied the presence of Israeli bases within the Kurdistan Region. Iraq has criminalized relations with Israel and the two have no diplomatic relations.
A suicide drone on Monday targeted forces of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) based at Erbil International Airport, wounding three US service members, one critically, according to Washington.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.
US military forces carried out retaliatory airstrikes targeting multiple locations of pro-Iran militia groups in Iraq the following day. One militant was killed and 18 others were injured, prompting Baghdad to condemn the airstrikes.
