Iranian forces have launched fresh military operations targeting Kurdish armed groups in northern Iraq while simultaneously unleashing a new wave of missile and drone attacks against Israel and United States assets across the Middle East as the regional war intensifies.
The attacks mark the 19th wave of Iranian strikes since the United States and Israel began coordinated military assaults on Iran nearly a week ago, a conflict that has already killed more than 1,045 people across the country, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Iran’s state media reported early Thursday that its military targeted what it described as “anti-Iran separatist forces” operating in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. Officials did not initially specify the exact locations of the strikes.
Al Jazeera reports that Iran’s intelligence ministry later confirmed the operation, stating that it struck positions belonging to “separatist groups” allegedly preparing to infiltrate Iran through its western borders.
The ministry claimed the armed groups suffered heavy losses during the operation and accused them of collaborating with the United States and Israel to launch attacks on Iranian territory.
Authorities also said Iranian forces were working with what they described as “noble Kurds” in the region to thwart what they called an “Israeli-American plan” to destabilise Iran.
Multiple explosions were reported late Wednesday night in Iraq’s northeastern province of Sulaimaniyah, located within the autonomous Kurdish region.
Local media outlets reported that at least four explosions were heard near the areas of Arabat, Zarkuiz and Surdash.
Sources in the area said the strikes appeared to target the headquarters of the Kurdistan Toilers Association, commonly known as Komala, an Iranian Kurdish armed group operating in northern Iraq.
Video clips circulating on social media showed large fires and explosions lighting up the night sky during the strikes.
The latest escalation comes amid reports that several Iranian Kurdish armed groups based along the Iran-Iraq border have recently held consultations with U.S. officials over possible coordinated attacks against Iranian security forces.
According to Reuters, the Kurdish coalition has been training fighters in preparation for potential cross-border operations aimed at weakening Iran’s military capabilities.
However, Iran’s Tasnim news agency denied earlier reports that Kurdish fighters had already crossed into Iranian territory from Iraq.
While the attacks on Kurdish groups were unfolding, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also announced that it had begun a new round of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and American military installations across the region.
Israeli media reported that the country’s air defence systems intercepted two drones over the western Galilee region.
Saudi Arabia also confirmed that its air defence units intercepted at least three drones believed to be part of the Iranian attack campaign.
In Qatar, authorities ordered residents to evacuate homes located near the United States Embassy in Doha amid fears that American diplomatic facilities could become targets in the escalating conflict.
Meanwhile, the United States and Israel continued large-scale bombardments across Iran, with explosions reported in the capital, Tehran, as well as in the Kurdish cities of Sanandaj, Saqqez and Bukan.
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