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Iran Claims Strikes On Israeli Mossad Bases In Iraq

Sunday morning Iran’s IRGC launched a dozen ballistic missiles into Erbil, Iraq, reportedly targeting secret Israeli Mossad sites. The unprecedented strikes are believed to have come as a response to Israeli airstrikes on Syria, the week before, which killed 2 Iranian nationals.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the launching of 12 Fateh-110 ballistic missiles into Erbil, the Capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan. Initially, news emerged that a US military base, as well as the consulate were the targets of the missile strikes, however, it later became clear from reports on the ground that the missiles targeted areas which were distant from US forces.

“Following the recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime and the previous announcement that the crimes and evils of this infamous regime will not go unanswered, the strategic center for conspiracy and evil of the Zionists was targeted by powerful and pinpoint missiles of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps [SIC],” the IRGC said in a Statement on Sunday.

On the Monday prior to the Iranian strikes in Iraq, Israel launched a number of strikes on the outskirts of the Syrian Capital, Damascus. Initial reports from Syrian State media said that 2 Syrian civilian deaths and material damage had occurred as a result of the strikes. A day later, the IRGC announced that 2 of its advisors were also targeted and killed, vowing revenge.

The IRGC also announced on Sunday, its intention to escalate tensions further if Israel commits more attacks on its forces in Syria. “[Iran] recognizes that the Israeli regime is fully responsible for all the consequences of these criminal acts, and seriously warns the regime about taking further adventuristic and malevolent measures [SIC],” the Guard Corps stated.

According to Al-Mayadeen News, four Israeli Mossad agents were killed and 7 were injured, including 4 of which who are in critical condition as a result of the strike. Two Mossad training centers were struck, according to Sabreen News agency in Iraq, which is closely aligned with the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Units/Forces (PMU/F), in addition to a Mossad Base. Al-Mayadeen News said that the Mossad base was located on Masif-Saladeen street and that it was “fully razed to the ground and a number of Israeli mercenaries were killed or injured”.

According to Iraqi Kurdish Security Forces, loyal to the US-Israeli aligned Kurdish Regional Government in Erbil, they had identified no casualties and said that civilian areas were targeted. Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, commented on the issue of Israeli influence in Iraq’s Kurdistan on Monday, stating that he had urged Iraqi authorities to stop their territory from being used by third parties which sought to target Iran.

Although it is difficult to independently verify the claims of how many were killed and injured in the ballistic missile strikes, it is clear that Iran was not after US targets and the IRGC has addressed the strikes as a response to Israel. This has to be interpreted as Iran having strong intelligence sources inside Iraq, as such a strike would have been meaningless theatre otherwise, and counterproductive. Instead of escalating tensions regionally, however, as many are claiming Tehran has just done, this was a strategic and defensive move.

Iran was adamant that they would respond to Israel’s killing of its forces in Syria and sought to create a deterrence, this resembles very much what Lebanese Hezbollah decided in 2019, following the targeting of its forces in Syria. For Hezbollah, they share a border with Israel and by picking off Israeli military vehicles and soldiers in a tit for tat response, in the event that Israel hits their troops in Syria, it has forced Israel to ditch all strikes that threaten Hezbollah members. Although Hezbollah chooses to respond, it does so in a way which prevents further escalation strategically. Similarly, Iran has chosen the same line of thinking, when it comes to deterring Tel Aviv’s aggression.

Iran could have chosen to strike Israel from Syria, but instead chose to do almost exactly what Israel did to it. If Israel strikes Iranians in Syria, Iran will strike Israelis in Iraq and perhaps beyond. Tehran has drawn a clear red line and demonstrated its intelligence network’s strength. Direct Iranian strikes on Israel would have almost certainly put Tel Aviv in a position where it needed to appear strong and strike Iran, this situation may have been calculated by the IRGC to be too much of a high stake scenario for the Israeli attack that had been carried out. If the Iranian response, as has been stated in the past as its position, is to directly attack Israel for any strike on Iranian territory, the Islamic Republic was put in a position where it needed to set up a different deterrence strategy in the event that its forces are targeted in Syria.

Instead of creating a large regional escalation, the Islamic Republic saw fit to keep things from getting out of hand with its operation on Sunday. It also sent a strong message to the United States as to why it should take seriously its role in reviving the Nuclear Talks. Whilst it is possible, the US may now launch strikes on the PMU in Iraq. Washington has now been put in a very weak position regionally.

Robert Inlakesh
Robert Inlakesh
Robert Inlakesh is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, writer, Middle-East analyst & news correspondent for The Last American Vagabond.
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